


Icarus and the Walking Sun

by sunlitflowers



Series: One More Dawn [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Autism, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love at First Sight, Lust at First Sight, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mentions of Prostitution, Near Death Experiences, Original Character Death(s), Politics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Racism, Romeo and Juliet References, Suicidal Thoughts, war references, whatever you wanna call it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-12 13:39:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7936768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlitflowers/pseuds/sunlitflowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two species, both alike in dignity<br/>In fair Ebott, where we lay our scene<br/>From ancient grudge inflicted by war<br/>Where star cross'd lovers<br/>Continue a thousand year strife.</p><p>Or: you're the daughter of a politician that hates monsters and fall in love with one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Act 1, Scene 1

“They’re terrifying our children! We need to bubble them up and kill them out!” The woman to your side stamps her foot as though one of the monsters were right under her foot. The entire room shouted in agreement.

“We need to do what our ancestors tried to do a hundred years ago and enslave them.” 

“One thousand.” You politely remind your father. His stern face turns towards you. His eyes soften seeing you and he nods. 

They call him Mr Republic. You’ve never seen him doing anything else aside from striving for political greatness. It was in his lineage that your ancestors helped in fighting back the monsters and killing a great majority of them. There were paintings in the Ebott History Musuem of your great-great grandfather slaying creatures left and right. There was a room in your house of blood ripped and blood stained war uniforms encased in pride and vases of dust lined Mr Republic’s floating shelves above his desk. It was as if he were there and proud to participate in the war. When you were younger he was your hero. As you grew older and learned about the effects of war on people. The portrait of your ancestor was always with a dog and as you learned about veterans going through post-traumatic stress disorder you began to wonder if they did, too. Would they have been happy with how proud your family was? 

The eleven year old Frisk had been the catalyst towards everything changing. They met with your father along with: a tall skeleton named Papyrus who was very energetic, a short skeleton named Sans who stayed back, Undyne the leader of the Royal Guard, and King Asgore. The Royal Scientist Alphys and former Queen Toriel had been in attendance, but remained outside of the room. Mr Republic had wanted them to go back Underground and stay there while humans figured out what best to do with them. He was almost successful in declaring war once more on them. The child ambassador was charismatic without saying a word and very likable. They were the missing link between monster and humans and had brought the best sides of both together. The monsters were allowed to live like you, but they had their own territory in a section of Ebott. 

They were primarily allowed what they had on their backs and nothing else. Because of Mr Republic, no humans wanted to interact or sell there wares to them. He’d created such a propaganda that all monsters were vile and evil creatures that you had even believed a word of it once or twice. An accident one day was what changed your mind and view about humanity and race in general. It would be raining and you’d see fire elementals trapped under a thin awning just trying to go about their day. Another time would be a human breaking windows in a spider bakery and threatening to rip their legs off. Even Frisk and their ‘mom’ Toriel were on the receiving end of a few terrible slurs. Nobody should have to go through that, but especially a child. You wanted things to change, but you had no idea how or what you could possibly do. They wouldn’t listen. You were the child of the man who had planted the seed of hatred in everybody’s heart. 

You had two separate groups of friends on this parameter. Three were Mr Republic’s friends kids who wholeheartedly believed in anything their parents did were for everyone’s greater good without a second thought. These three were Dom, Rue, and Indy. They were good people, you believed, on the bottom line and were just a product of a raising. Dom wanted what was best for the people, Rue adored your father’s views, and Indy could be swung either way. They were raised in a well to do house hold just as you were and claimed the four of you were best friends. This was not true by any means. You got along with them well because you had to for Mr Republic. They planned your twenty fourth birthday party months in advanced and tried to make it sound like a surprise party. 

Your actual three best friends were Clara, Opal, and Ashling. You all met in dance class at four years old and hadn’t let anyone else in your centric social life. Clara still did ballet, but you Opal and Ashling had grown out of moving your body forcibly for a show. All three of them hated Mr Republic’s political practices and were incredibly vocal about it. They were the tattoo having, motorcycle wearing bad asses that you always dreamed of while still being incredibly sweet. They hung out in monster territory and Clara was even rumored to be dating a female one ever so often, but she wouldn’t disclose that information just yet. You could understand that. That relationship was everything you were raised to detest: same-sex, interspecies. You supported all of your friends in anything that they did. Including when word got around that your nighttime birthday party was going to be spent in all of the dirty, grimy places your father warned you about. Telling your father that was not an option.

You lived with Mr Republic in a very large house that could almost be considered an apartment complex there were so many rooms. Your space was the ‘east wing’ which basically consisted of a bedroom, study and full bathroom. You had a walk in closet that was filled with just stuff more than any kind of clothes. The tops and bottoms he would never let you wear out were kept at your friends’ apartment. They gave you that stuff anyways and had understood your inability to even think about wearing something like it to bed. The only things in that closet were sharp lines, acute angles, button down blazers, and conservative and modest lengths. Nothing above the knee and nothing that went lower than your collarbone. Strict as the rules were, you knew that you could have it worse definitely. You knew your privilege could always be just that. Thinking of it as a handicap wouldn’t be right to those monsters living under bridges and inside cars.

After the town meeting, you are followed out of city hall by Rue with his arm tossed around your shoulder. There’s hundreds of monsters waiting at the bottom of the steps to hear the verdict of their fate. Normally, you can keep a straight face during these public addresses. Today was cloudy and you can see the two fire elementals looking anxious standing there waiting for whatever was going to happen. Your eyes make direct contact with the taller, orange and yellowish one. He’s outfitted nice in a dark vest over a white long sleeve dressed shirt and slacks. The littler lime green one has on what looks to be a school girl’s uniform. She’s standing next to a similar dressed, purple girl with a skateboard smacking bubblegum. It starts to thunder. You look towards Mr Republic who hasn’t sorted saying a word just yet. He’s got his eyes on the exact same monsters that you do. He couldn’t possibly...but he is. He’s waiting for it to rain and send them all off.

You remove Rue’s arm and excuse yourself to walk down the steps. Your hope is to get Mr Republic annoyed so that he follows and scolds you. Then the fire elementals can get to a safe place. Cameras flash and a million reporters ask you questions you don’t have answers to. Guards keep you away from most of them, so your walking has to be strategic. You make the winding seem incidental until you start getting nearer and nearer to the two who could parish under the rain. Once you get as close as you know you’re going to, you drop your umbrella and keep acting like it’s an accident.

“Miss? Miss! You dropped this.” The lime one calls after you. 

You look back and wave them off. The fire man gives a nod. He knows what you’ve done. You smile and get into the car. If one creature benefits from this then it might be worth it. The vehicle begins to drive away and you look out the rear window to see every monster and human chasing after except for two. They are both safe beneath the umbrella. It might not protect them completely, but it will get them home. All you can think about is how it’s not fair. Mr Republica was going to let them die after waiting three hours for that meeting to end where that was all anyone talked about. 

“Do you have any idea how it makes me look when you walk out like that?”

You sigh at his comment. “It was going to rain and I didn’t want to stand out there all afternoon.” 

You can feel daggers digging into your skin under his gaze. “We weren’t. Just an extra moment to let our people see the greatest.”

“They wait so long to see us saying nothing.”

“Watch your tone, young lady.” Comes the immediate response. “It’s a pacifist’s way, what you wanted. Is it not?”

“There were fire monsters there. That rain could have killed them.”

“Which reminds me.” He leans forward and picks up your umbrella. “Do not give this away again. I work hard to provide what you have.” 

Fear instantly drops into your gut, but you cannot show it. You can’t do anything without the possibility of getting kicked out and ex-communicated. You simply just nod in agreement and bite your thumbnail. He raised you to never show any emotion ever in front of anybody. Once you did, it could be used against you. After so much proactive you’re able to get that thought out of your system once it starts. Feeling was what made you human. You can’t let him take that away. You come to yourself and notice how deep your nails are digging into your palms. It hurts to flatten out. 

You arrive back at the large house and see cars parked all along the circle drive. Your father makes some comment about not expecting guests to play along for the surprise party. You button up the blazer and fix your hair and makeup to a more sophisticated look that he can be proud of. Checking your watch it seems you are right on time so there’s no need to drive around the block by yourself and weep for the loss of two monsters you probably caused. You take a deep breath in. Exhale. Then deep breath out. Repeat process. Over and over again until it comes natural and you aren’t going to cry if someone mentions something about monsters. 

You were weaned to suckle on champagne and speak gracefully so a few several glasses do nothing to you. A woman of your stature was bread for perfection at every angle and nothing less. You are to be a role model for your denuder everywhere. Seen and not heard, smart but not too much, and exceptionally beautiful no matter what. You have so far excelled past expectations and, according to your father, ready to be a wife and mother. You are his pride and joy. It’s time to sell off your blue ribbon ass to the highest bidder. That’s what this surprise birthday is really all about. Rue has asked for your hand and father dearest has no reason to oppose. The two of you are simply a match made in heaven.

“I couldn’t have made a better match if I tried.” Your father laughs. He created everything that you are. Literally. He bread you to be the perfect daughter. Up until now that has never been an issue.

“Shouldn’t I be given time to think about it? Rue and I have never even courted.” You chuckle as well, nervously.

Your father scowls. “Don’t be absurd. People haven’t courted since the 1800’s.” 

“Opal’s parents courted.” You point out. “It’s a dignity thing.”

“Dignity!” He snorts. “Dignity and marriage are not the same thing. This is business, pumpernickel. If you want to follow in my steps you’ll agree when he asks.”

“He never really washes his hair. It’s always dry shampoo.” You’re making up excuses for why just anybody isn’t a great idea.

“Your standards are just too high. You’re never going to find anyone like that.”

You refrain from saying that it’s his fault you are this way. Just two more hours and then you and your real friends can go somewhere fun and forget all of these problems. You dance the way they taught you, you say what they want to hear and keep quiet when Mr Republica or Rue just needs someone to stand there and look pretty. You wonder what your father would say or think about if you told him that every single night you cry because you know this is all there is for you. Would he be hurt? Would upsetting him make everything better? You have no real ambition to get up in the morning aside from knowing he would be furious if you stayed in bed all day. To what extent would keep a parent up all night? Could they live knowing their flesh and blood was awake and crying in the next room? Or would they rather the silent pain where the child is just going through the day by day motions? At least then they are manageable and aren’t showing anything.

But you aren’t depressed. You don’t cry every night in your sleep, you go out with friends and laugh after a few drinks. You literally don’t know what it means to feel anguish over anything. You just know how you’re supposed to feel and act that way. You aren’t depressed. You’ve just grown out of things that used to make you instantly happy and haven’t found something to replace it just yet. You aren’t depressed. You never once have cried pathetically into the chest of a handsome significant other. You aren’t depressed. When your friends announce themselves you excuse yourself and go out to meet them instead of holding up in your room alone . You aren’t depressed. 

Clara hugs you tight as Opal tosses you a bag of clothes to change into in the backseat. You take off the blazer and the professional bottoms and make sure they’re secured back in the bag so they won’t get alcohol or vomit on them. Mr Republica knows that you’re spending the night with your close friends, but not this. You keep the navy tank top on that you had under the blazer and wriggle into the racy bottoms that reveal more of your legs than they cover. Ashling hands you a pair of stiletto heels as a gift from them all and, using the ‘fuck it’ method, shove your feet into them. Half of this outfit is something that you would never wear without some good encouragement from a lovely little thing called tequila in a shot glass. Ashling drives you all the way into monster territory while blasting music to show off his brand new speakers. The night is young and the promise that everything can happen is right around the corner. 

“Fuck, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat.” Ashling swerves harsh onto another street.

“I ate so much at Muffet’s I don’t think I can handle anything.” Clara groans. 

“Oh my gosh text Sans and see if he wants to hang out tonight. He knows all of the best places. He can bring Papyrus too.”

“You think that’s a good idea?” Both brothers had been there that morning inside the room. You were already apprehensive about being in this part of the city. You did not want to face them.

“Definitely! Clara’s been hanging out with them and talking about how the apple fell way from from the tree.” Ashling assures.

“He didn’t believe it at first, you know. But then he saw what you did for Grillby and Fuku, the fire monsters? So I think it’ll be cool.” 

“Are they alright? Dad gave me back my umbrella-”

“Barely, but yeah.”

“Ooh! Grillby’s sounds amazing. He’s got the best fireball whiskey.” 

“I bet.” 

Clara leans against your shoulder. “You’re gonna love him. He’s the greatest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this entire chapter is basically Reader/OC's. It's only to set up the base of the story and won't happen again. I thought I'd give you guys a little fun fact about the reason for these names
> 
> Dom: Democratic Party  
> Rue: Republican Party  
> Indy: Independent Party.
> 
> Clara/Opal/Ashling: their names mean something to do with 'sight' or 'vision'.


	2. Act 1, Scene 2

Grillby’s is the most terrifying place that you have ever been to in your entire life. This is saying something because you’ve witnessed a death row inmate receiving their sentence and the life drain from their eyes. There you had been protected by a one-way mirror. Standing in a bar where your father wanted to kill or make every monster in the building his personal slave was the last place someone like you ought to be. Your friends pushed your forward through the parade of dogs. You always wondered what it would be like if your pets could talk and in any other circumstance the ones here that could do just that would be absolutely adorable. As would the bunny that wanted drinks and ‘hot guys’. 

That lead to the other reason why you really needed to turn around and find your drinks elsewhere. The man behind the bar, now that you could see him this close, was singlehandedly the most attractive monster or human you had ever seen in your life. You were never one to feel this way immediately on impact and now that you had it was impossible to let go. Every storybook you have ever read could not prepare you for this. You had never thought yourself as closed off before, but looking at this literal fireman was not too unlike cracking open an oyster shell for the pearl. He could make you into a diamond. Discarded was the dress shirt and all around nice formal clothes. Here in his element he wore leathers and you could see the tattoos running up and down his arms and across his back. These designs moved all on their own and almost hypnotized you by themselves. At the center of his chest you could see a strange looking one. All of the others had been in black or white ink so they could stand out against his skin. This one, a dull heart shape, was pale blue and a mix of green. Just as you raise a hand towards it-

“what’cha reachin’ for there, buddy?” The short blue skeleton nabs your attention. He’s just come in as well and has his hands stuffed in pockets.

“N-nothing, nothing. Just that tattoo.” You explain as though retelling a glorious dream.

“looked like you were about to try an’ take it from ‘em.”

“She’s not here as an enemy, Sans.” 

A voice straight from your darkest fantasies emits from behind you. It’s low, grave and a bit raspy. You don’t have to turn around to see who it belongs to. Grillby says it’s your birthday and when your name puffs out of him your face blushes. There’s a magical moment that wow, he knows your name! before you realize just about everyone in here would in some form or another. Grillby clears his throat and you’ve been staring at him.

“They called ahead. You are all early.” He leans against the bar and you see how toned his arms are. The flames are lined exactly like muscles would be. “Can’t give you the private party bar for another hour.”

“I hope you don’t think that’s an issue?” 

Grillby smiles and that’s it. You’re done for. You are a sentient puddle on his floor. “I didn’t think it would be.” 

Your friends circle Sans and beg him to put on a show for tonight. He’s much more easy going with them, but you get it. Despite what Grillby says, you _are_ the enemy here. One bad word from you and their lives are over. You turn in the barstool to watch Sans perform his comedy songs. He’s got an amazing voice and if you weren’t so on edge, you’d be laughing until you puke right along with the rest of the crowd. The bar top creaks and you can feel Grillby’s heat right behind you as he leans on crossed arms.

“I’m glad you’re here, actually. What you did for me and my kid was something that took a lot of balls to do.” 

He picks up a shot glass and barely fills it with alcohol before blowing fire into it. He makes another and passes one off. Your fingers brush and where you thought might burn does not. You look at him for an explanation.

“Why didn’t that just scorch me?” 

He shrugs. “Didn’t need it to.” 

The way he talks just invites for more conversation. You turn your stool to face him better. He clinks glasses and you nervously take a drink. It’s smoky, rough and burns all the way to the pit of your stomach. You cough a few times to get it settled back. You think he passes you water with a snicker, but it’s just a lighter drink. 

“Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“Wouldn’t dream it. You just look like you need one. That conference was rough.”

“You’re telling me.” You shake your head. Maybe you do need another drink. Grillby sees your contemplation and goes to make you another one behind the fire exit. When he returns, he’s got a burger that makes you drool and fries that look like sunshine. Not intent on recreating your twenty first birthday, you eat vigorously and moan when it hits the spot.

“Stand up and eat if that’s what it’s going to do to you. I don’t want to clean these seats again.”

It takes you a second to realize what the hell he’s talking about when you do, your food gets dislodged in your throat. You laugh and wave your hand in front of your face to get rid of that thought for him. “No! It’s just really good. That’s a compliment.”

“I don’t know a time in which it wouldn’t be.” 

You think for a minute. “Someone else’s cooking?”

“Never lost a woman or a patron to it yet.” He takes one of your fries and makes it a little crispier before eating it.

“Well,” your mood lowers. “Hate to be your first. I doubt that I’ll be able to come back here again after this.”

“Would you want to?”

You take a deep breath and another drink. You’re getting deep here, but isn’t that the job of a bartender? Spill your sorrows to? You turn more towards him. If it weren’t for the fact he was fire, you wouldn’t be able to see him in the dark. Now it’s just the two of you, or it feels that way. You lean in close so it’s only Grillby that can hear. You can see every line in his face and the line where it’s supposed to be hair. He’s older, definitely a father figure, but he looks phenomenal. He doesn’t have a bad angle.

“I live in a big house where I have my own wing that I am alone constantly. When I go out it’s to be in a place that I hate. Being here and being hated is the best thing in the world.”

Grillby raises a hand and you turn yours palm up to catch it as it falls. You remember this from grade school. _Something, something, something holy palmer’s kiss._ Every warm hand you’ve ever held was sweaty, but not this. He felt like mittens fresh from the drier before going out to play in the snow. You make no sudden movement in case he takes it all away. He brushes his thumb against your wrist. He stops suddenly after a solid second and pressed into it and feels your pulse. Doing this while looking deep into his eyes feels far more intimate than you’re sure he must mean. Right now, everything is gone. All decisions in your life have lead to this moment. Not because of the effect that Grillby was having on you, per say. You were going against everything that you were raised to do. You were meeting yourself for the first time and that was terrifying. You were twenty four years old. Most people that age were in a job they hated in a career they wanted or married with kids. Here was good. Here was safe.

“You are not going to be snubbed out here like a bad cigarette.” 

You’re getting lightheaded. “I think I need some air, but I don’t want to interrupt the show.”

Grillby raises your hand and escorts you to the end of the bar. He hits a button that signals he’s in the kitchen, but he leads you out the fire exit. It’s still freezing out here being so close to the mountain, so he stays close for your safety. At least that’s what you tell yourself. It’s definitely not because he’s thinking what you’re thinking. 

“I didn’t mean to pull you away from work.” You apologize. When you look at him, Grillby is smiling up at the sky. It’s a night of full stars.

“Any moment to look at this is worth it.” 

Oh. Another thing your family helped take away from them. You look at the ground and pick out a nice spot where you can dig yourself deeper. “I’m glad to see you’re okay. I guess your kid is, too?”

“Had her first good encounter with a human and it’s the daughter of a man who wants to water board her. She’s alright.” 

You flinch because you know Grillby isn’t exaggerating. That’s exactly what your father would do if he could. “I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“Makes you the most terrifying human I’ve ever seen. Soft and hell on wheels is a deadly combination.”

You give him a look. “That’s you.” 

“Do I scare you?”

Grillby places one hand on either side of you. The only space is the inches between his body and yours. He knows. He’s seen right through you. The tattoos on his body move to his hands and flame out so that they’re brushing against your cheeks. Your father would kill him if he knew. You place your hands on his waist and close the distance to hug him. He’s not burning hot. It’s the way holding fire should be. Grillby wraps his arms around your shoulders and gives a big bear hug squeeze. It’s no longer rich and romantic, but friendly. Of course, that’s not what you want. You don’t think he may either. He’s taller, but he does lean when you adjust to place your forehead against his. You don’t smile until he does.

“You're gorgeous.” He sounds nervous now, like he understands at this second what he’s getting into with you.

“I want to protect you. I want to protect everyone, but I don’t know how.”

“You gotta phone?” 

You reach into your back pocket and hand it over. “Going to give me your number?”

“And Sans’s. You’re wherever decisions are argued about. Anything that gets threatening, text Sans first. He can warn everybody.”

“Good idea. When do I message you?” 

His smirk adds a boyish charm. “Anytime you miss me.”

“You really want to do this?” 

Grillby holds your face between his hands. He kisses you with no hesitation. A simple little peck to see how you react, but there’s only one thing you feel. It’s selfish, but you don’t stop. You wrap your arms around his neck and press your body into his. He’s aggressive and very rough, but in no way harmful. He doesn’t give you anytime to think that maybe he doesn’t want the same things that you do. His hands travel everywhere to feel your body and curves and things you might had once been insecure about in another normal relationship. He hums and his flames get higher, but they never burn you or get hotter. It stays at a comfortable temperature as your body goes limp. His kisses get softer and you don’t notice that you can’t breathe until he pulls back and your gasping. He gives you just a few seconds to recuperate before doing it again. Flames lick your bottom lip and you open without thinking. There’s steam and a sizzle. You remember. Your tongue is wet. You are human and pretty much are water. You might kill Grillby before your father does if this goes any further.

“Does that not hurt you?” You pull back, trying not to think about his tongue between your thighs.

He raises a brow. “Do you usually put fires out by licking them? I would rather see that than Sans’s puns.”

“No!” You shove his shoulder and he laughs taking a step back. “Sor-ry for worrying.”

“It’s going to take a lot more than a few sweet kisses, doll face.”

“I’ll do whatever I need to keep you and Fuku safe.” You swear while he’s sucking on your neck and keeping your waist against his.

“You’re too soft not to do this. You smell amazing. Wear it to my funeral if I leave a mark, alright?”

You push him back so he does not do that. “What time do you close the bar?”

“Couple hours. Be good in go get in bed so I can shimmy up your drainpipe. I’ll see you after getting Sans to sit tonight for a little while.”

“He may not if he knows you’re coming to see me.” You warn, taking him by the hand as you go back in the bar.

“Sans! I need you to watch Pebbles tonight.” Grillby called to the end of the bar where Sans was drinking ketchup. The skeleton gave a thumbs up.

“Guess that’s taken care of.” You chuckle, letting go of Grillby’s hand. “Guess this is goodnight. Thank you for the drink and the food.” 

“Happy birthday, sweetheart.” 

The lights click out suddenly and Grillby clings to your waist. You can’t tell if this is for protection or fear, but you lean into it either way and wrap an arm around his front. It’s so pitch dark in the way that the only light in the room as him and that blinds everything else. You hearing laughing and then you realize that you’re under a spotlight. Grillby seems to notice this the same time you do, because he relaxes and begins to play along. He swings you backwards and pretends to give you some long, romantic sexual kiss when in actuality he just pecks your lips once more. He stands you back up and everyone else is cheering and yelling. The lights come back on and there’s a happy birthday banner across the ceiling. The balloons popping confetti make you jump, but after they’re all done it’s easier to settle back into comfort. This was the private party they had mentioned and definitely did make it a surprise. 

They don’t mind you anymore now that Grillby didn’t murder you out back or vice versa. Seeing that you weren’t going to end up going home for some time, he kept you close. The food for the event was all made out and takes less than a second to heat up. All he has to do is fill a few drinks here and there and show off his gorgeous magic for tips. That’s what mostly makes him unable to sit down for more than a second. You get behind the bar and pour the drinks while he adds what he needs to them. You know the basics and the monsters are very amused and happy that you are wanting to help their great friend out on your birthday. They are the kindest creatures that you’ve ever met and when you keep Sans’s ketchup bottles filled he gets there too. He hasn’t been rude by any means and does make jokes when necessary, but now it’s even when unwarranted things happen. You feel officially initiated when you shake his hand at the end of the night and there’s a whoopee cushion.

It’s four in the morning when things are finally all done and over with. Your friends went out and slept in the car while you stuck back and drunkenly helped Grillby clean up. There’s a lot of sashaying and dancing and singing to the broken jukebox screwing music up. Grillby is completely sober and watches over you while doing the cleaning that only he can. When he finishes, he collects you in his arms and kisses you softly. It’s gentle and you can’t even kiss him back your heart is so filled. You know you will never meet another person that captures you just the way that he has. He has taken your birthday and snapped it into who you are without knowing you for just eight hours. You came in here expecting the same treatment that your father gave them and instead received creatures that acted as though you were their best friend since birth. It has to be magic. It’s too perfect.

“I’m not going to let you leave here until you say I can see you again.” Grillby threatens. Given where you’re going it’s lackluster.

“Ask me to come back.”

He takes your hands in his. You see now that he’s fidgeting. Grillby hasn’t been nervous all night. What side was he showing you right now? His voice when he spoke was low, quite and more like a crackle of fire. “Will you come back to see me?”

You nod and smooch his mouth before hugging his neck. “I don’t know when, but I will. Go sleep and spend time with your daughter.”

“Go drink water. You’ve been making out with a lump of coal all night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as in the tags, this is Romeo and Juliet inspired. they're going to want each other fast and quick.
> 
> also, grillby is rash and brash rn and i get that's ooc (in many people's opinions at least) but it's to work towards character development and plot things so bare with me here.


	3. Act 1, Scene 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter deals with heavy topics including:
> 
> mental illness issues relating to blaming themselves for the death of their mother.
> 
> please use your own discretion when reading this chapter. the mother-death is only really talked about for one or two sentences, but the mental illness is a recurring theme.
> 
> if you guys find anything else triggering that are not in the tags, please let me know! i want you guys to remain safe even if this chapter gets harsh fast.

It’s a good thing that your father knows about you staying at a friend’s house the night of your birthday because none of you get into a bed until almost five o’clock in the morning. As rough as it is for everyone that got drunk, it’s even more terrible for Ashling, the designated driver who has a nine hour shift in three hours. You crash at his place and stay knocked out until well after one o’clock in the afternoon. By this age and your getting intoxicated at parties, you know how to handle a hangover before the next morning. Grillby’s food definitely helped, but you made sure to load on fruits and water before passing out to get something healthy in your system. The certainty that consuming grease was the bad thing to get in your bloodstream was unknown. You did a lot of things that you never would have around humans no matter how long you knew them. The only regret you have is denying the trip for as long as the monsters have been out. 

You’ve got several messages, but only two from Grillby. You save reading either of them until you have gone back to Hell House and showered in case there’s a possibility that you’re going to be able to hang out. You bathe at the apartment just to get the general smell of alcohol and smoke off your body. Sleeping a day away was already going to get you into a ton of trouble. You call your father and simply explain (lie) that your phone had died the night before and that’s why you hadn’t been in contact. 

“I understand, darling. Come home as soon as you can.” 

Translation: get your ass home before I send people after you.

You pack up your stuff and leave money for the dry cleaning on the clothes you are not allowed to take with you. You button up the blazer to hide the grease stains. You refrain from smelling it to see if Grillby’s scent is still there or if it was just all in your head that it made you feel like coming home. You go out of the apartment looking like a woman on the way to work on a Sunday. A confident stride went a long way from not resembling a walk of shame. You pulled the sunglasses out of your bag and shoved them recklessly onto your face to fight off the damning sun. You would be out in it all afternoon if your father saw that food stain. It wasn’t too often. Papa didn’t raise no fool. He wanted you to be intelligent and you weren't one to disobey rules. You’ve learned how to be exactly what he needed you to be and at the same time cover your tracks. Up until this moment, nothing had ever been so serious as the fact you wanted to run away with a monster and his daughter and live happily ever after. In the back of a cab, without taking your blazer off, you turned the shirt around and unbuttoned the outerwear. He would have noticed something as up, you realized. He already hated the fact that you drank socially and knew that you did that when you hung out with ‘those three’. That you couldn’t stop. You could make it to where there were no traces of Grillby anywhere on your body. Perhaps a picture next time…

When you were younger, you would have been disappointed to come home from a slumber party to see the house empty. Now it feels good. You quickly go up to your side and get into the shower. You take an extra few minutes to let it soak and feel as clean as you really need to be. You step out and shake a towel through your hair and another over your body. That’s a luxury that you have and take whenever necessary. Finishing all the things that you need to do, you then go out and get dressed before falling onto bed and picking up your phone. You clear out all of the messages from your father without reading anything. It’s all the same thing and you don’t want to delay reading Grillby’s message one more minute. 

_Fireball Whiskey: good morning / night. let me know that you made it home safe._

_Fireball Whiskey: congratulations on your engagement._

Your heart nearly fell out of your butt. You never agreed to marry anybody unless it was a joke last night at the bar. As soon as you start thinking about that, there’s a knock at your door. 

“Come in!” 

People start coming in with flowers of all varieties and sizes. 

“Oh, no, no no. No. I can’t have those in-” 

You sneeze and that’s where it starts. Seeing pictures of flowers decorating houses and landscaping are always beautiful, but you hate receiving them. Hiring someone to take care of them means having people in your space and that’s a requirement because you are hardly ever home. They always mean someone’s getting married (a merger), died (sad) or a birthday. In all of your twenty four years, you have not once received this many. If you have to look like a spoiled brat then so be it. No one but you is going to be allowed in your room. Well, as of recently there’s one. You’ve got to do some damage control on that issue to make him still want to come back.You shoo everyone out then grab your phone and hit the call button on Grillby’s.

“Joe’s pool hall, eight ball speaking.”

“Are you busy? I need to explain some things to you.”

“I get it, doll face. Stressed about wedding planning and being with one person, you needed some relief. I was there. No hard feelings.”

“He proposed, but we weren’t dating. I’ve never seen him casually. The only reason people get engaged in this business is to get something out of it.” 

“That’s…not what the news is saying. You jumped into his arms when he asked and cried.”

Of course they would make this into a public spectacle. ‘Satan’s daughter to wed the son of Satan’s bff. Daughter wept like a normal human’. “He asked my father and Mr Republica agreed. I asked for time to think about it, but that’s it. I never had any intentions of saying yes.”

You bite your lip hearing him sigh. There’s a pause before he speaks again. “Then can you open your window so I know I’m on the right side?”

You jump up and rush over to one of the windows that you can open and push it outside. You look down and see him below. “How the hell have you not gotten caught? You’re actually in the worst possible neighborhood to be in.”

“I think Atlantic City would be worse. I’ve got a terrible gambling problem.” He says while looking around the side of the house. “I’m going to try something so stay back.” 

You do ask he asks and hang up the phone so he can use both hands for whatever he’s planning. In a few moments of holding your breath waiting, Grillby’s groans get closer. He grabs the ledges of the window and hoists himself in. He’s not sweating or out of breath. He looks at you for a solid three seconds. You barely register that he asked you a question. Seeing that you’re dazed from the look of him, he smiles and takes a step closer. 

“Promise you’re not engaged?” 

You barely nod before Grillby has you back in his arms and his mouth on yours. You hear sizzling from more than just your connected lips and push him back. There’s steam coming from every end of him and now he’s out of breath. He leans over to clutch his chest and you can’t comfort him. Your entire body is still wet from the shower. You couldn’t imagine what would have happened to him if you were drenched. It’s your hair mostly. The rest of you is just damp. You go grab a washcloth and dry your hands and arms better so you can at least touch. 

“Damn worth it.” He assures. “Hurt so fucking bad hearing that you were engaged.”

“If I am it’s not by choice. If I say why I can’t now, you know what that’s going to do to you?” You go into the bathroom and start up the blow drier. It takes longer than you really like, but at least now you’re not going to be responsible for Grillby’s pain.

He runs his fire fingers through it now and hums in appreciation. “Go through with it until we can figure something out. You don’t feel anything for him?”

You shake your head and hug him back against you. Your worries about smelling like smoke in front of your father are gone. “Nothing.”

“And what about me? Am I crazy for thinking we had something?”

“Maybe, but then so am I. It was right. It was good.”

“Don’t fluff my ego so much before I can keep you all to myself without worrying about things.” He presses his hand into your back. “You haven’t seen good yet, doll face.”

Your arms wrap around his neck. “I want good with you. Would it be okay if I came back tonight?”

“It might be too dangerous. I’ll send for you.” His kisses feel like gifts now that he’s bestowing you with. They’re deep, promising and heated. The front door of the house shuts and your father calls your name.

“Don’t send a monster. I can’t have their dust on my hands or yours.”

“Sans can get in and out of anywhere without being detected. I would trust him with my life.”

You have no reason not to trust Sans. He’s the one that didn’t fully believe in you. Your father calls your name once more and you begin pushing Grillby out towards the window he came in. “I still don’t think it’d be wise to just have him in here. If there’s any trace of you, I don’t want to think of what will happen. Have him meet my friend. She’s wonderful and can come and go here as needed.”

Grillby steals another everlasting kiss that promises you far more than just one night. He ventures down. While he promises to talk after work, your father breaks open the door. He’s completely frustrated and irate. Long day at the office or you have done something wrong. A mix of the both also seems likely, but it appears you aren’t going to get permission to go anywhere for a long time. You pushed your luck sleeping so late today and he is not happy about your attitude lately. Blowing him off yesterday, leaving your birthday party to ride shotgun in a sin wagon, staying gone from home so long and then denying the flowers your fiance sent you. You have some kind of nerve you terrible horrible person. As your father shouts, rants and raves about how there needs to be some changes around here, you aren’t paying a bit of attention. Your focused on the fact that you can’t feel anything. You are not hurt by his words because of the excitement towards seeing Grillby again. You are not anxious to get back in the fire’s warm embrace. There’s nothing inside of your body aside from organs and fluids. What is wrong with you?

He breaks the vanity when he slams the bedroom door on his way out. Seems you will be getting married or he’ll toss you out on the streets. You’ve got yourself in quite the predicament. Marry the man who is basically your father and work to keep the monsters safe. Or be with who you have always dreamed of and risk getting them all killed. Your heart is in a tight grip and getting squeezed. How could you have done this to your father? Can’t you see what position you have put him in, making him look weak in front of his friends? If he can’t control you how is he to control the monsters? 

You grab at your head. Control, control, control! That’s all it’s ever about isn’t it? Who owns this, who bought that? The man who has the nail controls the world. You can hear it all getting louder and slink to the ground. The voices don’t stop coming. You haven’t had them in a very long time, but now that you’ve felt a taste of danger it’s all coming back. See, this is not the first time you’ve disappointed your father. When you were just eleven years old, you killed somebody. You got out of the car on the train tracks and left your poor mother there. You heard every bone in her body snap and the car crumble like a paper wad. You cleaned her blood off the streets. You jump up to your feet and run to the bathroom where you begin scrubbing at it hard. You will never be rid of all the damage you caused. You really needed to look who in the business world you could fuck to gain some control over yourself. No, you’re not depressed. Depressed people are tired all of the time. You hate sleep because you know what it means to wake up.

Then it’s over. You look at the clock and see a record breaking time. See? If you were depressed, you’d dramatically run out into the streets and have a collision into Grillby’s chest about how terribly miserable you were. Then he’d say something like ‘you are my missing puzzle piece’ or something romantic like that and it’d all be perfect. Just like you read about in books. That wasn’t what this was. You thought about-

“kid?” Sans’s voice inside your bedroom is definitely shocking.

“Sans? I told Grillby that I’d have my friend meet you in a safe place.”

“grillbz heard your pops yelling and couldn’t come in here himself. sent me.” He shrugs just slightly. “glad i did. you look like shit.”

When did you start crying? You clean your face off and take a breath.

“no, no, no. you’re not doin’ it right. ten seconds in and hold. ten second exhale.” He blocks the way out of the bathroom. “not gonna let you go before you do it.”

You do as he asks and after a few times to satisfy Sans your heart rate stabilizes. You’d heard about the trick all of the time, of course, but never took it seriously. Or had anyone that made you. Your friends just hugged you tight or made jokes to get you laughing and (fake) happy again. That wasn’t bad. They knew they weren’t legally qualified on how to deal with what you were going through. Your father would never let you go to therapy. What would it look like if you weren’t as perfect as you claim and that you blame yourself for your mother’s passing? How terrible that he let his daughter go on like that! You wouldn’t put him through it. For him, you would be strong. He lost someone he thought he was going to spend more than seven years with. As much as he hated monsters he loved your mother more. It was she whose family had ties to the Monster-Human War. It was she who-

“don’t go too far, now. i just got here.” Sans joked seeing the far off look in your eyes. You look back at him and see the white dots in his eyes.

“Sorry, you said you were here because Grillby heard dad yelling?”

“yeah. got him real worked up, he was turning blue.”

“Protective of his friends, is he not?” You try a smile on for size.

“he seems to think you’re more than that, but let’s not get into it right now.” Sans goes back to the initial subject. “you need out. grillby’s got an extra room.”

“My friends have an apartment in the city. I’ll be fine. I was just overreacting.” You chuckle and find that it’s an easy thing to do.

Sans studies you for a solid five seconds. “i’ve been where you are, buddy. i’ve seen that look on your face in my mirror. ain’t a place to be when we’re good people.”

“I was created specifically to one day join the army and fight you back into the Underground. How can you be so nice to me?”

“genocidal maniacs don’t laugh at my jokes. they aren’t human and, kid?” he closes his eyes. When he opens them, they’re pitch dark. “they always have a bad time.”

“I’m not having a good one, Sans.”

“not because of anything that you had any control over.” The lights are back in his eyes.

“You don’t know that. You don’t know what I’m capable of.” 

Sans’s smile never falters. “then i guess this is goodbye.”

Just as he says that, your father appears behind him in the shadows raising a knife covered in dust. Sans winks. What you don’t see, what you were never able to know, was that he stepped aside in a very swift motion. You take the knife, but it doesn’t plunge into your heart. It’s in seething heart shaped colored orange and yellow like fire. Even though the blade made no contact, the pain was still deep down into the very depths of who you were. Your father removes the knife and drops down to his knees just as you’re about to fall. His are not the arms that you fall into. It’s Sans. He gives you a donut that tastes rubbery and stands you back up. You can feel no blood anywhere on your body and you still feel weak, but you are filled with something that had been ripped from you. Sans hands you a Cowboy Hat and a Bandanna with abs drawn on it.

“it’s time to act, pal.”


	4. Act 1, Scene 4

You are standing before your father tying a bandanna around your neck and placing a hat atop your head. Sans is standing at your side with his hands shoved deep in his pocket. He yawns, which is kind of annoying. You are about to fight your father who just dove a knife into a hovering heart shaped…thing trying to kill Sans. The least the little skeleton could do is show a little restraint and calm himself the fuck down. You eat more of the spider donut and toss your phone to Sans who types something away. Your lucky self just gets to hope he’s doing what you need for him: letting the other monsters know it’s not safe. If your father is going after you then he’s even more relentless in his ambition than you thought. Light emits from his chest and a bright yellow heart is now in front of yours. You swallow hard, still trying to regain your strength.

“I’m not going to fight you, dad.” 

His pupils are red and he begins swinging the knife. “I thought you called me Satan!”

You can’t move your body, but the heart thing moves in the direction instead. The knife doesn’t event scrape your body, but barely. It swings around the front of your heart-shape. You look towards Sans for an explanation.

“soul, kid. wiggle it around, make it do a little dance so you don’t get hit. can’t give you any more food unless or until you bail out. don’t think you’re going to bail out by talkin’.”

“I’m not going to fight.” Sans pointed towards your father. “I’m not going to fight you!”

“I will destroy all monsters!” 

You can’t speak after this warning until he’s finished attacking you. 

“Sans! Get everyone to a safe place, I’ll hold him off.” You plead. Hearing you call for him, he steps forward but stopped at the rest of it. You give him a hopeful look that he does as asked. He’s now unsure. 

He’s not going to let you just do this. Sans grabs your wrist and pulls you back, your Soul retreating at the feeling of safe contact. His extracts from his chest and he holds a hand up. Your father is frozen still in the air and then thrown down onto the ground as Sans slams his hand south. He grasps for the knife he dropped just as the entire room bursts into flames. Fire never terrified you and it certainly hadn’t now that you’ve been kissing it lately. This even looked inviting to touch, but you don’t of course. You may be head over hills but your not stupid. Assessing the situation, you follow Sans out the window and carefully scale down the side of the house where Grillby is waiting at the base. He’s sending the fire from his hands into your room only. Now that you are out he stops and catches you in his arms.

Grillby sits you on the back of a motorcycle and squishes a helmet onto your head. He wraps a leather jacket around your shoulders and makes sure you’re zipped up and comfortable. He and Sans share a non-verbal conversation via glance of eyes. Grillby then hops onto the bike behind you and zooms off in direction of monster territory. He places your hand on one of the bars and hugs you tight. He whispers instructions on how to drive it into your ear then very carefully removes his hands altogether to hold you. He’s breathing down your neck but it feels more like an exhale of relief than an intoxication. You are away from the one who makes you feel lesser than you are and with the one who wants to show you the entire world he never gets to see. You’re a bolt of lightning going down the highway to his dive bar. The two of you are heaven and hell on wheels without knowing who is which. He’s got you taking the long way to show off that he’s got you. Repercussions be damned. You’re with him now and that’s all that matters.

There’s a gorgeous sultry voice singing woes of heartbreak out of Grillby’s place. You swing off the bike and fix your hair of the helmet print while walking towards the window. In a place run by fire, it takes you a moment to try and figure out how on earth a mermaid looking monster is singing out on dry land. There’s a fish monster off to the side playing piano. The two of them together are magic in itself. Grillby hooks a finger through your belt loop and pulls you on inside where he thinks you belong. The fish monster snarls at the look of you. Her fingers on the keys get heavier, her boot slamming the pedal. You swallow hard and make a beeline for the bar where Sans is already there working on a third bottle of ketchup. He’s talking to yellow monster about his heights. Sans looks at you with a face of worry. You nod to show that you’re alright. 

“took yah so long? grillby, triple order of burg.” Sans then looks at the two of you. “and whatever these guys wants.”

“Triple order of burg sounds good.” You agree and watch as Grillby first makes yours and the other monster’s drink. You nudge Sans’s side and look towards them.

“oh, this is alphys. she used to be the royal scientist. real good friends with the kid.” He leans back and introduces you as ‘the one whose been running around with Grillby’. That’s a lot better you decide than being a daughter. 

“Royal scientist? That’s amazing. What do you do now?” 

“Nothing thanks to you.” The fish monster playing the piano appears suddenly behind you. “Got some nerve coming in here.” 

“she’s good people, undyne.”

“Are you that lazy to not see through an exterior? We’ve been crossed before need I remind you.”

The lights go out in Sans’s eyes. “no. you do not.”

You don’t notice that Grillby has returned until he leans over the bar and kisses you as though it’s the last thing he’ll ever do. “Thank you for saving Sans’s life. And mine and Pebble’s.”

“I’d do anything to keep you guys safe.” You say by almost reflex. You know what he’s doing. He kisses you once more before sliding you, Sans and Alphys the food.

“Y-you s-s-saved S-s-Sans’s life?” Alphys asks, eyes bright and twinkling.

“yeah she did. pop was about to shiv me and she took it to the soul.”

Grillby breaks the glass that he was cleaning in his hands. His flames grow higher. He’s furious, but doesn’t say a word. Everything about him gives away what he’s feeling. You putting yourself on the line like that has impressed everyone except for him. You let Sans tell the story and get up to walk around the bar. This gets you even more looks of shock as you reach around Grillby’s neck and hug him tight and are enveloped in an inferno without getting burned. If it weren’t for the small wire rimmed glasses and clothes, you wouldn’t be able to tell where he actually was. When you reach a hand out so does he. Your fingers lace. You smile and the excess fire goes away. 

“Sans saw your Soul?” He says after a moment of deliberation. “What…what did it look like?”

You tap his chest where his heart shaped tattoo is. “In that form, but orange and yellow. If you can make your hand into it, then that would be exact.”

His flames get lower and the bar quietens to complete silence. “What?”

“Your tattoo right here? It’s the only one that doesn’t move like your others though, but I like the green color.”

“That’s…sweetheart, that’s my Soul. There’s no way that you could possibly…see…” He cuts himself off as he stares at your chest. He lowers the neckline of your shirt. “Fucking hell, babe. I thought it may had just been the light.”

You hear a squeal coming from Alphys as she has a grip on Undyne. “Y-y-you t-t-t-two can s-s-s-see each others S-S-Souls when they’re not out! That’s so cuuute! It only happens on shows and movies, but not really that much in real life!” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Alphys.” Undyne scoffs, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. “That only happens when-”

Alphys jumps up on the bar stool and coverer's Undyne’s mouth. “Don’t pressure them!” 

You look to Grillby who's now…blushing? There’s a faint blue line under his glasses that’s completely adorable. You hug his waist and he strokes your hair, accidentally straightening it just a bit. Assured that he is better you kiss his shoulder and then go back to your seat where you can now face Undyne. Despite the height difference, you aren’t that intimidated. Seeing Alphys fall all over her makes her ferocity dim.

“I adore Grillby, Undyne.” You say, firm in your decision of which life you chose. “I will not do anything to hurt him or anybody else.”

Undyne leans forward so your noses are just inches apart. “I’m a woman of action. Jumping in front of a knife or giving an umbrella just makes you crazy. Not standing up for us.” 

You nodded slowly. That seems fair to you. You stick out your hand and she jumps back to get in a battle stance. “I will personally see to it that monsters are placed in jobs that benefit their talents. If I don’t, I will never set foot back in here again.” 

Undyne’s lip curls once more into a snarl, but she squeezes your hand tight enough to make you wince. “In two months the first snow will fall. You’ve got until it’s cleared.” 

Behind the two of you Grillby is ranting and raving about how you better not do this. Whether he believes that you can or you can’t is not the point. He knows what going against your entire race will do. There will be war once more. There will be blood and dust covering the streets and you could be the first to fall. Your relationship has just started. He’s not keen on it ending like that. Regardless, you agree.

“Deal.” 

Undyne grabs Alphys’s hand and marches out of Grillby’s after slamming their money down on the counter. She breaks it by doing this. Grillby steams the room by exhaling. Sans shakes his head and shoves his hands into his pockets before leaving. Everyone else clears out as well and you suddenly assess that you’ve done something you probably shouldn’t have. Now it’s just you and Grillby in the busted up dive bar with a broken counter top separating you. He’s got the edge of it held tight himself, trying to calm down. He rips it off and tosses it aside. You wait in silent, fearful nerves as Grillby storms near, leaving black footprints behind him. You flinch thinking that he’s about to strike you for being so naive. He instead hooks his arms under yours and holds you. He’s mumbling something incoherent, but you are able to catch your name and the word ‘safe’ here and there. Was he worried that Undyne was about to do something? Or is he just still thankful you’re alright from earlier with your father?

He tastes like cinnamon when he kisses your open mouth and melts like butter. Grillby lifts you off the ground and you wrap your legs around his waist to not be flailing around. You pay attention to none of the surroundings as he carries you out one door and up a dingy staircase into a horrible apartment. There’s mold growing on some of the walls and sections of floors that have risen from water damage. It smells horrible and probably wasn’t fit for humans to live in let alone monsters. He lays you down on a springy bed where you can feel everything inside the mattress digging into your back. You don’t want to stop his mouth on yours and hands going wherever his hands need to be, but it’s starting to hurt. You nudge his waist with your knee and he pulls back.

“Shit, babe I’m sorry. Hang on I got somethin’.” He removes himself and with pants unbuttoned and fly mostly down he shuffles out of the room. He returns much too quick for you to even think with pillows that look like they’ve never been used before. 

“Does this not bother you?” You ask, leaning forward so he can put them under your back.

“I, uh. Get used to it.”

You wrap your arms around his neck and press a longing kiss to his upper lip. “I’m going to get you both out of here.”

“Think you’re warmer than I am.” He parts your legs a little more and draws circles on your thigh. “Stay with us. I can keep you safe here.”

“I want to be nowhere else. Grillby, -”

Whatever you were about to say is stolen by him kissing all along the column of your neck. A sigh passes from your lips followed by a moan as he removes your clothes and you help him out of his. He pauses after you’re almost completely nude save for the underwear. Grillby looks at you as though you are the jewel he’s been searching for his entire life. It’s almost hard to comprehend that a man who looks like him would look at you this way. Not out of insecurity, he’s never been the one to make you feel bad about yourself. The man that you never could have dreamed about for yourself is plucked from your desires and placed in your life. He takes care of you all night. He burns once when his fingers grip your hips in a moment during lost control. You don’t get mad at him. You bring him back after applying flour to it from the kitchen. Now that he’s got his greatest fear out of the way and seeing how you’d react to that happening, he’s less hesitant and nervous. The confidence that he flaunts in a show returns to be an actual part of him instead of just a face. You make him feel better about himself. You make him happy. You bring him to make the noises that he does. You make him care more than any human ever has or possibly will.

It’s not been a week that Grillby has known you.

He’s fallen hard and fast in love with you. That’s okay for monsters, but he knows that everything about humans is still brand new. They’re too afraid of being hurt to let themselves feel this way easily even though it’s the best in the world. And it’s even scarier now that you and he can see each other’s Souls. Because he knows what Alphys was going to say. This has only been recorded in history of happening twice since the beginning of the monster race.

Asgore and Toriel.

And Frisk and Asriel.


	5. Entr'acte

Grillby hardly ever sleeps when Fuku stays over at someone else’s house and tonight is no different. He holds you in his harms and looks at the dark room most of the hours that he isn’t drifting. He’s got you to protect and keep warm. The apartment above the bar isn’t up to code by any means and there’s nothing but his own literal body heat to keep you comfortable. Your Soul might be stronger than any monster but you are still human and susceptible to hypothermia. With you curled up against his chest, he can see your Soul clearer than any other part of you. You are so fragile. One wrong temperature movement of his could severely hurt you and a bad nick of the skin would take you away. How can he sleep at all when you are here alive and well?

Fuku gets home just as she guesstimated at after nine in the morning. He gets up after making sure you are comfortable and heats an extra blanket. They never have to use them for obvious reasons. He hugs one tight to heat it up some more and drapes it across your body. You grumble knowing that is not Grillby lying next to you, but you don’t stay in consciousness for long. He pulls on his pants and pecks a kiss to your forehead then goes to see his daughter. After coming to understanding of your relationship with your father, he’s much more involved in Fuji’s life than he normally might have been. He was never ever a bad or neglectful father by any means. He just makes more time now and only works to provide for her. 

Fuku rubs her tired eyes and raises grabby hands to be lifted. Grillby holds her on his hip and goes to the kitchen. She starts falling back asleep on his shoulder while he makes her a breakfast out of the minimal crap he’s got. It’s been dry cereal for three days and he’s so glad that she’s a child and doesn’t care. He can’t afford or get too much of anything else. The only thing he has in the bar is burger stuff which he can feed her once a week. Grillby hums a small little lullaby as he rocks Fuku around just as he did when she was but a baby. He’d been a single father since Fuku was sixteen hours old and never thought someone might fill the whole Kasai left. He grieved and learned his lesson: keep the heart open. He’s glad he did. He never would have taken such terrible chances and captured you in his arms had he not. 

He tapped Fuku’s nose in an effort to wake her up. She straightened and yawned. He pulled a ‘scary voice’ and poked her mouth with the spoon. “Pebbles must feed!”

Fuku laughed and opened her mouth to chomp on the cornflakes. She grabbed a handful and shoved them into Grillby’s face. Her little voice tried to copy his. “Pop must feed!”

Grillby hugged him tight and set her on the counter. “I’ll eat later, sweet pea. How was S’s house? Did you have fun?” 

Fuku immediately perked up and nodded. “She taught me how to skate! She’s gonna get me kneepads and helmets for my birthday next year.” 

“Looks like you’re gonna have to get a skateboard then, huh?” 

High pitched giggles squeal from her happy self and she claps in excitement. Her features then screwed and Grillby removed her shoes to fix the wrinkles before she could yell. She had issues with projecting how sensitive that feeling was. When this was first starting out, she got ignored by almost everyone except for those closest to her. With the winkles gone out of her socks and a screaming fit subsided for another time, Grillby pecks her button nose and waits for the smile that gets him out of bed in the mornings. She’s the most priceless and perfect thing in his life. There’s been no darkness since Fuku was born even after Kasai’s passing. She had all of his love and devotion. Raising an autistic child as a single parent would have been very difficult for anyone else to do, but he wouldn’t give it up for the world. 

“Pop rock?”

“Yes, Pebbles?” 

“Somebody’s here.” 

Grillby looks over his shoulder and relaxes seeing that you’re not there yet. “There is. She’s very important to me and I hope you like her to.”

“Oji said you’d been seeing someone.”

“Did he now?” Grillby would have to talk to Sans about this soon. Fuku’s ability to handle new things was way, but it should have come from him. “What else did he say?”

“She’s just like mama.” 

That thought struck Grillby to his very core. He never put you and his first wife together but yeah. He could see it. Kasai was something that he wasn’t supposed to have either and stole away. It would explain why he fell for you almost on impact. Sans and Fuku’s mom were great friends and he would know just as well as Grillby himself did. 

“Do you want to hear stories before nap time?”

Grillby carries Fuku to her room where thee box spring bed and mattress is in better condition than the one you are currently sleeping on. He lays her down with a bowl of dry cereal and curls in around her. He re-tells the story of how he met her mother and how they ran off on the motorbike to avoid the humans during the first war. They went Underground with other groups before people pushed them there in retreat. Her father was a commanding general that wanted all monsters to fight. Grillby and Kasai only wanted to keep each other safe. It took them three weeks of knowing each other to get married, Sans and Papyrus attending, but many years to have a beautiful little princess that completed their kingdom.

“Pop rock?” 

“Yes, Pebbles?” 

“I’m going to take a nap right now. I would like you to move.”

“Can I give you a kiss first?” 

Fuku thought for a moment then gave a firm nod. Grillby smooched her cheek while tucking her in. “Tuck-a tuck-a tuck-a, it’s the mermaid tuck.” 

“Just like Shyren!” 

“Exactly right. You’re getting so smart. Do you want to hear her sing tonight?” She nodded excitedly, eyes glowing. “Take a good nap for me and I’ll let you come down.”

She pulled the blanket up to her chin and rolled over to snuggle into bed. He scratched her back until she fell asleep and stayed an extra thirty minutes just to make sure. The boards of the floor groan under his weight as he exits Fuku’s space taking the bowl of dry cereal with him. He downs the rest of it and feels his stomach scream at him for being so neglectful. He steams the bowl clean and tosses it back on the shelf. He’s got two and a half hours before waking Fuku up for lunch. He knows exactly how he wants to at least spend part of that. 

He goes across the hall back to where you are sleeping. He crawls up into the bed and kisses your cheek then pulls you close. You toss the blanket away off of your body and cuddle back with him. Now all he needs to do is get you and Fuku to like each other as much as he likes both of you and everything will be perfect. Aside from you making that stupidly brave deal with Undyne. He’d been infuriated with it at first thought, but not with you. Undyne should have known better than think he would just bring some human into his life around his kid that might be dangerous. Your need to make everyone safe and going to such links to do so had been one of the most attractive things he’d seen since kissing you for the first time. He couldn’t stop himself from crossing that floor and getting you all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a brief little interlude before we start act 2.
> 
> since Fuku is a japanese word (meaning luck / fortune / clothes / fuck you) i'm making her at least half-Japanese. 
> 
> Oji (what she calls Sans) is 'Uncle'. 
> 
> Kasai means 'fire'.
> 
> i am not japanese so if any of these things are wrong i'm sorry japanese people. let me know and i'll fix it; especially the oji part.
> 
> i am also not autistic and am trying my best with portraying a decent autistic character. if you have any advice please hit me up on my tumblr (sunlitflowers) or here as well. the last thing i want to do is be offensive.


	6. Act 2, Scene 1

You wake up in Grillby’s arms and know that he’s moved more than just a little in his sleep. He’s dressed now and you’re just in a shirt and underwear. You also are aware that he stayed up all night for some reason because he was too tense the few times you woke up. He’s asleep now and every part of him is relaxed. You have to go home to get started on getting their lives moving again the way they always dreamed. You shouldn’t have stayed here all night, but it was way too hard to deny him when he asked. You’d do anything for that face. Including stay at least an hour or so longer…

The scream startles you into bolting upright. Grillby doesn’t hesitate in springing into action. He catapults out of bed and you can see his light go across the hall. You fumble pulling back on your shorts and joining him. You think about grabbing a weapon second after you think about just getting to Grillby and making sure that he’s okay. You’re glad you didn’t when arriving at the door frame. A little fire element that looks far too much like Grillby except in the chin and color is hiding her face in his shoulder. She’s the same shade as Grillby’s Soul. He’s the same shade as yours. He’s rocking her back and forth while humming something sweet and low. The floor creaks under your weight and his daughter snaps up to look at you. 

“Human…friend?” She questions Grillby. 

“A really good friend.” He calls for you by name to come sit with them. 

You realize that you are doing something most couples wait months to do. This makes you hesitate, but you step forward. “Hi, Fuku. Are you…okay?”

“Uh huh. Pop rock fixed it.”

“Pebbles doesn’t like wrinkles in her bed sheets.” Grillby explains what happened this time. You can see his gaging your response to this.

“I see. It makes you feel all bunched up inside and not know how to explain it?” Oh, if your father was a fly on the wall in this conversation. He had one or two things to say about autism that made you scream.

“Sometimes?” She’s checking to see how you’re going to react to this as well.

“Well, sweetheart. You yell as much as you need to, alright? Your pop rock will always come make it better. If I’m staying over I’ll be here, too.” You promise, raising a gentle hand and stroking her hair. Her fire is a bit warmer than Grillby’s and you have to stop after a few compassionate pets. 

“Are you guys hungry? I’d like to take you both out for breakfast before I have to go to work.” You ask after a moment when Fuku is more calm. You notice that she avoids eye contact with you and just leans against Grillby instead of actually cuddling him.

“What do you think, Pebbles?”

“Good idea, pop rock. You gotta get out though so I can get dressed.”

You smile and stand to back out of the room with Grillby following behind. Before he can explain you don’t have to do this or apologize for Fuku, you kiss him softly and take away all of his worries. Or, at the very least, most of them. He brings you back into his makeshift bedroom where he takes a pair of nice black slacks and rips them across mid thigh. He burns the ends off, cuts the odd crotch position out, and presents to you a nice skirt to wear instead of the shorts you have on again. They aren’t fashion designer level of stitching, but it’s pretty damn impressive what that man can do with his hands. Just as that thought enters your mind, it turns to something sad. He’d had to make clothes before. Possibly often. Now that you think about it, he does wear the same clothes more often than he doesn’t. You could do something to remedy that. With or without him knowing was the issue.

You tuck the hem of your shirt into the waistband and tie a belt around it. Grillby winds your hair around his fingers and accidentally curls it while you’re getting dressed, but it doesn’t look that bad. The lack of your normal makeup won’t even feel out of place. He doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, but either way it gets him to hold your face between his hands and kiss you. Just like last night he’s giving you so many while trying to talk that you can’t understand a word and are left to guess. He’s happy. He’s glad you’re here. That’s all that really matters at the current moment. Grillby doesn’t argue that you want to take him and his daughter out to breakfast because he knows there’s no point. As much as you feel protected with him, he feels protected with you. That’s not to say that he isn’t scared to death of putting his daughter in the line of danger. Everything could wrong and there’s no argument within him who is worth it more to him. If things start heading south, you both know who Grillby is going to save first.

He’s got Fuku’s hand held tight in his own as the three of you walk out of the downstairs bar and into the street. You lead the way like a mother duck with your babies following behind. Bringing up the map on your phone that Clara texted you a few weeks back, you wind down the roads this way and that. Grillby steps forward and is in a cold sweat across his brow.

“Don’t tell me you’re going where I think you are.” He’s warning you.

“The best place to get breakfast in monster territory?” 

“Muffet!” Fuku jumps a step ahead of Grillby who is groaning. She nearly steps into a puddle and he swings her over it. 

“Watch out, Pebbles. Can’t have you sinking away from me, baby.” He says this as calm as he always is.

The map leads you to a broken down building covered in cobwebs. You think this place is completely wrong. There’s no way prim and pristine little Clara would hang out that often in a place like this. If Fuku knows this place by sight, then it must be. You swallow hard and march on. 

There’s a tingle of a bell above the heavy wooden door as you swing it open. This place looks like it’s ripped straight from a horror movie that took place in an antiques store. There’s more webs than paisley printed walls. You think you see a man bent over and hiding his face in the bend of his arm, but going towards makes it disappear. A simple trick of the eyes. That’s what you tell yourself at least as you move forward and spy a protected glass case filled with donuts similar to what Sans had given you. 

“Ahuhu~” A sweet little sing song voice that sounds like it comes from a music box chimes throughout the shop. “Miss me already, Grillbert? You’ve brought my darling little goddaughter home finally~!”

You look over at your shoulder and mouth ‘Grillbert’ at him. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “I told you not to call me that, Muffet.”

“I warned you not to bring in humans either, honey~!” Muffet in all of her spider like glory finally arrives from behind long purple curtains. You’ve never really been arachnapohobic, but giant walking spiders were never exactly your thing. 

“I got recommended by a human. Do you know Clara?”

“She’s only my favorite little snack! Oh, you must be the friend that’s been seeing my favorite black widow.” Muffet takes out a donut from the casing and hands it over to Fuku. 

“Then you must know the monster she’s been seeing.” 

“Oh, how did you guess? We’ve been ever so careful, ahuhu~!”

You’d figured it was Muffet, but don’t say anything. After you bought a significant amount of Muffet’s pastries for breakfast, you let Grillby and Fuku fill their tummies while you talk with the woman spider about Clara. Mostly so they could have a decent breakfast, but also so you can gauge if Muffet is actually good enough to be dating your friend. You scan the spider monster up and down and know that your best friend could do better, but she’d definitely picked a good one. At least this significant other had a job and another life that didn’t revolve around Clara. They both had their own lives and that was important. Speaking of, you still had to get to work at some point today. You wave Muffet goodbye for now and then pander over to where Grillby and Fuku are sitting on a wooden box to eat.

“I have to get going. Fuku, would it be okay if I came by tonight again if it’s okay with pop rock?” 

“I guess?” She answers with a question. You look towards Grillby who nods and then stands to walk you out. 

“Wait here with Muffet, sweetheart. I’ll be right back after I say goodbye.” 

Grillby leads you outside and barely waits for the door to shut before he’s got you pressed against the wall to the bakery and his mouth on yours. His fingers rake through your hair as he cradles your head. His…tongue? (you still haven’t figured that out yet) slips into your mouth and you’re left going weak at the knees by the taste of him. He excels at physical affection in ways that could make you stay here and not do another damn thing for the rest of the year. You stand on your toes and wrap your arms around his neck. The only things that stop the kiss is his hand slinking down to grab your ass and it throwing you so off guard you snort and laugh in his mouth.

“You can’t do that out here.” You tease, moving his hands back up. 

He makes a noise of disagreement and presses his mouth to your shoulder. “I want to make out with my super gorgeous partner in crime.”

“I know, baby.” You soften. “That’s why I gotta go, though. None of you deserve this lifestyle.”

It takes him a few moments, but he does relent. While barely parted, Grillby reaches into his pocket and produces a piece of metal. You watch as he welds and twists it into a simple metal band with a little flower at the center. He clinches it tight in his fights and then plants it in your hand. It’s warm, but not hot. You wear it proud on your finger and kiss then hug him. You promise that you’ll come to the bar tonight with or without progress to stay the night all over again. It’s hard to pull away and you’re looking for any excuse not to at this point. Soon it’ll all be worth it. Grillby is trusting you.

You catch a cab ride over to Clara’s house where you can put something actually decent on and bathe before presenting yourself to the entire Ebott political system. She’s not there, but you have a key and get in with ease. It’s while you’re rifling through your friend’s closet looking for something to wear that you make the meetings you need to with the appropriate people. Saying whose daughter you are helps a lot, especially with those in the system that want similar things that you do. You set up two meetings to begin with today and another one next Thursday. The worst part of this is over. Doing phone calls has never been something you’re particularly excited about. You rehearsed what you were going to say in the shower and still managed to fumble a word here or there, putting those speech classes to shame. Now that you are back in your element, you call Sans. You don’t have a lot of time to do what you really want and are going to trust him. He meets you on the main floor of the apartment building in seconds.

You give him your credit card and a list of things that you really need him to get. 

He glances it over then smiles at you. “thought I saw a speck of green in that fire soul o’ yours.”

“I don’t know what that means.” 

“each soul’s gotta different meaning based on color. yours is bravery an’ justice.’splains somethings, don’t it?”

“Better than the theory that mine matches Grillby and his matches Fuku’s.” You laugh it off, now seeing how silly it is.

“peeb’s is gonna be stoked about this. you might owe grillby a date night, but he’ll come around pardon my greek.”

“Don’t go crazy, but pick you something nice.”

“what’s with the ring?” He notions towards your hand. “pop rock the question already?”

Sans doesn’t seem surprised while asking that which is briefly unsettling. You show him the metal adornment on your finger. “Nothing like that. He had it in his pocket and I guess just wanted to give me a reason to come back.”

“that’s…” he turns your hand and the ring over to examine every inch of it. “really nice. you seen something like that before?”

Now that he says something, the longer you look the more familiar the color and design feels. Sans knocks out to get your shopping done and let you get some actual work done by the end of the day. As you look at the ring, your hands begin to shake. You grew up to hate this design. There’s an insignia that Grillby hadn’t managed to melt completely down and you couldn’t see all of it anyway. This old, rustic thing you thought he just had in his pocket was an antique. Some may consider it an heirloom and he just made it into something new for you. This ring was there when the feud between your families started. A lot of times during the war, the gorget had a number on the inside to identify mutilated bodies. This one having letters meant that whoever had warn this had been important enough to be remembered. What would they think of you, a human, wearing a piece of their armor? 

You can’t think about that right now. You’ll deal with relationship stuff after you get the backing that you need to get the Monsters their civil rights. You slip the ring back on to your finger and call for a car. A nice rental arrives within minutes and you’re on your way to City Hall. The meeting isn’t until right after lunch which means their stomachs will be full and they wouldn’t be grouchy. If they had bad stomachs they’d want to get out of there that much faster and an agreement would be easier. You go a few hours early in order to be there already and write out notes that you’re going to need. You make every argument against yourself and find something against that. By the time it’s half past twelve, you are ready to go. They end up being twenty minutes late, but you are the picture of perfection. You take a deep breath and begin your presentation to Humanity for Monsters.

“Up until about a week ago, I was being lead blindly by my father in shadows and darkness. My birthday rolled around and everything changed. I met monsters who welcomed me hesitantly at first and then treated me as though waiting for me to come on by.” You smile fondly at the memory.

“I’ve not spent a day since then wanting to make things better for them. I didn’t know what someone like me could do. I still don’t think I can do this by myself, which leads me to why I called you all here this morning.” You pick up the remote and change the presentation to the next slide.

“A revolution with no war. In order to show the monsters we see them as equals who deserve civil rights just as much as any of us do, we help them rebuild. We give them their businesses back and place them in homes which can survive a human. This is what you all have been trying to do all this time, but let me explain where you have failed: a face of redemption. I am the daughter of the man who hates monsters. I have stood by my father’s side from birth and have put up with his injustice for long enough.”

What you think will end up being a four hour yelling debate is not. You’re not used to everything running so smoothly like this. They ask for a moment to debate and start texting away on their phones. By reflex you want to reach for yours just to have something to mess with but you refrain. They return to your attention anyway in a manner of seconds. They nod at each other and stand, grabbing their briefcases. All of them walk out of the boardroom in three separate lines and not a toe out of place. Only one human remains. The two of you walk to meet in the middle of the room and shake hands like best friends.

“Welcome to Humanity for Monsters. We look forward to having you at a protest next Wednesday.”

“No protests.” You state firmly. “We will be peaceful. We will follow Frisk’s example and make no forceful exertions. All we have to do to the monsters is talk and they’ll understand.”

Mr Business purses his lips into a smile. “You can’t possibly know what they want by spending a week with them.”

That sets you on edge. “I can damn well tell you what one does. I’m going home to him tonight.”

He steps back. “Well. When you rebel, you rebel don’t you, Ms Justice? This better not be just a phase. Alright. Plan what you will and my people will go over it.” 

“A dinner.” You say before he could move another inch. “Monsters and humans invited. I’m hosting it. Shall I send an invitation directly towards your office?”

He’s faltering and you are back in control. You take out your phone and pretend to type away something while really just hitting numbers on the calculator. Step one of getting monsters and humans closer together complete.

You’ve done it.


	7. Act 2, Scene 2

If Grillby’s mad that you sent Sans on a shopping spree then he’s very not good at showing it. 

As soon as you walk in the door of Grillby’s dive bar that night long after contracts and dinner party plans were made he’s got you pressed against a wall. The initial shock that he might be doing this in front of everyone wears off after seeing that the place is supposed to be closed. He’s got his hands going up your shirt, his mouth on every part of flesh he can get and hips pressing hard into yours. Your legs wrap around him as you hold on tight and let him do whatever it is that he’s apparently been waiting. He slows after hearing you moan and seeing the mark he’s finally made on your collarbone. You place your forehead against his and see the happiest man in the entire world. He nuzzles your noses.

“Sans said I might owe you a date night.” You joke, thinking that’s what this may be.

He shakes his head, moving yours along with it. “You don’t owe me a damn thing anymore, doll face. I owe you.”

“You’re not mad?” 

“If you’d sent someone else other than Sans I wouldn’t have let it happen.” He explains, carrying you over to the bar top where he sets you down. “You bought Fuku’s school uniform and a wardrobe she loves as well as me. You got us enough groceries to last the year. How could I possibly be mad?”

You shrug just a little. “In case you hate things like this?”

“It doesn’t happen that much. This is phenomenal all because I gave you a little ring?” He takes your hand and smiles seeing it still there. He brushes his finger over it and you kind of hope he’s thinking what you are.

“That ring is exactly why we shouldn’t work together.” 

“But we do.” He’s quick to say. “We do, right?”

You reach forward and hold his face in your hands. “We do.”

“Good. Be-because I don’t really want to sl-slow down.” He’s getting nervous again. A rare feat for him and there’s a small sense of adorable when he is.

You get off the stool and latch back around him where you were. “We definitely don’t have to anytime soon.”

“I want us to keep moving forward and stay on the same page.” 

“We have been from day one, haven’t we? Like it was written in the stars.” 

That makes Grillby relax which is good because his fingers keep tightening and tightening around your hands. You’ve definitely made him a happy little campfire. He wraps his arms around you and just holds you for a long moment. You smile knowing what he’s about to do. He takes your hand and gets into position before leading you side to side. He’s fixed the jukebox since last time. You lean against his chest and hear the small crackle of him. He’s warmer than usual and it’s hard to tell if it’s because of you or not. You look up to see him already looking at you. This is a moment from a movie, it couldn’t actually be happening right now. There’s someone in this world that wants to be with you. He doesn’t care about your history or what you’ve done. He cares about you. He wants to be with you for as long as possible. That is as strong as a confession of love. He kisses you softly and leads you upstairs. 

“Fuku had a meltdown today, so she’s staying with Alphys and Undyne. She’ll be back on Monday.” 

“Why won’t she come back here?”

Grillby shrugs. “Since she was about two, anytime she has a fit she won’t set foot in the place until the new week. I stayed with her until she went to sleep.”

“And Alphys and Undyne are good with her?”

He smiles at your concern and rubs his thumb against yours. “Better than Sans. He’s good, but she takes many things very literally.”

Grillby got a new mattress and blankets you know he doesn’t need. He’s got more clothes, namely vests, in the open wardrobe. While he turns down the bed you step across the hall to see Fuku’s room. She’s got posters, better bedding and a closet full of clothes her father didn’t have to make her. It looks amazing and you’re left to hope that she feels the same way. You’ll have to check out the kitchen later because Grillby wraps his arms around you from behind to drag you back to bed. He picks you up bridal style and gets on the bed before setting you down underneath him.you begin to undress each other simply to get out of work clothes and nothing more. He wiggles the sheet out from under you and tosses it over his head so you’re both beneath it. He gives you another very long kiss before falling next to you. In that naked embrace is where you stay for the remainder of the night. He tells you about Fuku’s mother. You tell him about your own. He holds you tighter and promises that it was just an accident and not your fault.

It makes you cry and he doesn’t get upset at you for doing so.

You feel that it’s going to be one of those mornings before you even wake up. You roll away from Grillby out of his touch to hold a pillow against your chest in the fetal position. You’re not depressed so you don’t cry. You can’t be, because you don’t feel anything right now. Grillby kisses the back of your shoulder and doesn’t do anything to make you talk. See, if you had depression, right about now would be the time where you’d fling your hair backwards and beautiful cry to your beautiful sleep buddy and everything would just be so tragically beautiful. The pair of you would spend all morning yelling and fighting over nothing. Almost Shakespearean where Claire Danes holds a gun to her head and calls it devotion. That’s not what happens. Grillby gets up out of bed and you hear him muddling around in the kitchen. He returns a short while later with chocolate chip pancakes, so you surmise that Sans got him a decent amount of groceries.

“You don’t have to work today so stay in bed. Make sure you eat today at least before lunch time.” He says while holding the plate and brushing a gentle finger up and down your nose.

“I’m not sick.” You tell him. “You don’t have to take care of me.”

“You may not be sick, but you’re not well. I can see your Soul, remember?”

“So?”

“It’s the culmination of your being. Everything you are and everything you’re feeling is right there.” He places his hand over your chest.

“I’m just tired, Grillby. Had a long work day.”

“You can sleep after you eat.” He waves the plate under your nose. He’s not kissing and fawning over how wonderful you truly are and how he’d move the stars to make you see that. You don’t have depression.

You sit up and eat while Grillby goes on about his day. He doesn’t argue when you call business people and party planners about getting everything set up for that Saturday. It’s only difficult because you feel exhausted all the way through and talking on the phone is just draining. When you finally do eat the damned pancakes they’re the most delicious thing you’ve had in forever. As if anything Grillby makes would ever be considered otherwise. His talent never seems to max out. Every dish is better than the last and you think about what exactly it is that you’re bringing to this relationship. It is a relationship, isn't it? He does like you enough to want to be your boyfriend, right? You’ll have to ask him later. But oh god, what if he doesn’t want anything serious? Nothing the two of you have been doing has been something other than just two adults having fun. You only met his daughter due to sleeping over after sex. He said he wanted things to move forward, but what did that actually mean?

What it meant, you realize in that space between sleep and awake, is that you’re afraid of losing this. You have to cling to it and never let go. You have to let Grillby know before someone else is braver. Looking at the clock you see that it’s late at night. He’ll be downstairs in the bar in the middle of a shift. You’re not expert of the ‘fuck it’ method, but right now seems a good time for it. You climb out of bed and get dressed back in what you wore over last night. The thought that you really need to bring your clothes over crosses your mind which is a conversation for another time. You rush out the door and down the stairs to stop and calm yourself down before entering the bar. 

As suspected for the late hour, it’s packed to the brim and Grillby is working on pure adrenaline and mechanics going from one end to the other. You unlatch the swinging door to go behind the bar. You can’t talk to him just yet so you begin taking orders to this table and that. He makes sure everyone at least has a glass of water and a small order of fries for free. It’s somebody’s birthday so you sing along and bring them their molten lava cake and fireball whiskey. Your feet are only killing you when standing still, but it’s exhilarating working side by side with Grillby. He’s quieter tonight which you attribute to being so busy. He doesn’t even remark anything when Sans makes a joke about the hickey on your neck. This only makes the jokes roll out and you see Grillby silently laugh. It’s disheartening and a little uncomfortable. He’s only so silent when he’s worried and nervous. 

When you get a window you go over to Grillby and lock him in your arms. He sets the glasses he was scrubbing down on the counter and holds your waist. 

“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I did. I had to tell you something. I had to tell you that-”

A window breaking takes away what you were just about to say. Grillby swings your waist around and hits the silent alarm. This sends the monsters out in every which way they can get. Gas and oil fumes suddenly fill the bar and now everything is a fire hazard. You grab Grillby’s hand and start running as well to get both of you out, but he stands still. 

“One move and I’ll explode this entire bar.”

“I’m not leaving you here.”

“This entire bar is about to go up on flames! I’m not losing you. I’ll be fine if you just go.”

The last thing you’d ever thought you would be doing is leaving someone you care so much about behind in a place knowing it’s about to catch fire. You just have to put your faith in that yes, while he is an elemental, he’ll be okay. You step over the spilling liquids which at any second will explode. He will lose everything in the apartment that he just gained. You step out and into the cooler air where monsters are all gathered around. You watch as Grillby’s entire life is shot up in flames and burns down to nothing but ash. A yellow claw lands on your shoulder and you see Alphys. Undyne is next to her carrying a sleeping Fuku. Tears burn your eyes and spill over once you cover your face. Soon you’re being comforted by a number of monsters who also promise everything is going to be alright. They give Undyne a detailed description of what happened and what was happening. It’s all your fault. What if this had been at the party? Not every monster could survive something like this. You would have their dust on your hands. That makes you curl into yourself more and hug your knees to your chest. 

There’s a green light coming from next to you. Fuku has shimmied down Undyne’s side and is now sitting next to you. Her face is screwed in discomfort so you slide her shoes off and straighten out the socks before she can fuss. She goes back to not expressing any kind of outright emotion, but leans against you. It’s more like you’re comfortable rather than her seeking affection or a cuddle. You stay completely still. There’s nothing either of you can do. Putting the flames out could risk harming Grillby and that’s not something you’re at the point of doing. Your family took away Fuku’s mother. You were not going to take away her father, too. You look towards Alphys who is hugging Undyne’s leg. 

“Did you have fun at your sleepover?” You ask Fuku.

“We watched a show and had ice cream for dinner.” 

“You’d better had cleaned your teeth before bed.” Fuku sat up and barred her teeth before going back to position. “Brilliant girl.”

The child climbs over and wraps herself around you. She is far cooler than Grillby is and you wonder if it’s because she’s a younger temperament. You hug her close against your chest as you watch and wait for an absolute that may come. Or, you’re just sitting here with the love of your life’s daughter in your arms and left to take care of her alone. From one crime to the next. Your life is an everlasting game of Russian roulette. You’d killed your mother. You almost had to kill your father. You may had been the reason to the murder of your lover. What must you do to break the circle?

It’s something out of a hero’s story the next thing you witness. Grillby’s body rises like a phoenix from the flames. His clothes are gone, but the other flames that would harm you is covering everything. He shakes his head and rakes a hand through the hair shape. You stand with Fuku still in your arms and walk towards him when you catch his eye. She straightens and pushes you away to be set down. Undyne marches forward in her armor through the flames and takes Grillby’s hand to stand him up and brings him out to keep his nude form to himself. She hands him a spare set of clothes. He at least has time to put the pants on before Fuku rushes over to him. He picks her up and hugs her tight against his chest while looking for you. Undyne points in your direction and says something that makes him blush. He paces forward and you go to meet him. 

Fuku gets squished in the middle as you and Grillby meet. She whines and moves to be set down. This is no big deal to her. You, however, it’s like seeing someone you love brought back from the dead. He holds your face and brushes tears away from your eyes. They steam but don’t harm him. He presses his mouth against yours and doesn’t let you go until it’s more than just your lungs burning for him. The sizzling sound doesn’t appear to bother him. You withdraw anyway and hold his face.

“Don’t ever pull that shit again.” You warn, thumbs brushing over his temples. He’s got a tight hold on your waist.

“Told yah I was fine.” 

“I can’t risk that again. That put so many monsters in danger.”

“We’re okay. Are you hurt?” You shake your head. “I’ll check you out myself later. What did you have to tell me?”

You swallow hard. There’s a lot of things telling you not to do this right now, but then it wouldn’t be worth it. “I don’t want to lose this. You. I don’t want to lose you.” 

“I know. I feel the same way, doll face.”

“Do you know that I love you? Because I do. I love you. That’s what I wanted to say.”

Grillby has officially never appeared happier than this moment. He hugs you tight against him and rubs your back. “I love you, canary.”

“I feel so responsible. If we weren’t together-”

“Don’t go blaming yourself. I was thinking about selling it anyway.”

You hope that’s up for discussion. “Is there anywhere the two of you can stay tonight? I don’t have anywhere…”

He slips his arms into his sleeves and you button up the shirt for him. “By which you mean the two of us, right?”

“Not tonight.” You apologize. “I’m going to work with Undyne tonight and figure out who did this.” 

“No, no. Please, baby, stay with me.” His voice is barely above a whisper, but he makes sure you can hear him beg. Grillby turns his nose into the crook of your neck and holds your body to his. “Alone. Cold.”

“You won’t be, I’m sorry. Make sure Fuku doesn’t want to sleep with us tonight. I gotta make a few calls.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just want to explain something here in case it isn't clear:
> 
> Reader does have depression, but since since it's always portrayed as a tragic romance sub-plot kind of thing she never knew exactly what it really is. I know it's different for a lot of people, but to me it's just...not feeling anything. No excitement for doing what used to make you happy, not wanting to get out of bed but not wanting to stay under the covers. A lot of 'leave me alone I'm lonely' sort of deals. Grillby knows this is what Reader's depression is and he leaves her alone. He gives the love and affection she needs, but lets her have this day to herself. I hope it doesn't appear heartless.


	8. Act 2, Scene 3

Clara met you with a bag of your clothes outside of where Grillby had to stay tonight. Mettaton’s Hotel is about the shabbiest and rundown place you have ever seen. The letters of Mettaton’s name has been spray painted over to say something vulgar about robots. Grillby pulls you along inside past the blue finger woman walking the streets. The hotel apparently run more on donations than it did actual business. There’s a large tip jar sitting behind a busted up desk that looks like it’s been broken into. So starting tomorrow in between meetings you’re going apartment hunting where you can have an actual space and Grillby and Fuku don’t have to stay here longer than necessary. 

He takes you down the hallway with torn flooring and mold on the corners of the walls. You get to the room he’s apparently decided on and step inside to see cobwebs and an overall disgusting smell punctures your nose. He sighs and takes off his vest for you to hold while he walks on the spring mattress. You jump out of the way as a mouse scurries by your foot. He shakes out the roach infested blankets and pillows. There’s stains on the bed and you really don’t want to spend a night here at all. You’re here only because Grillby doesn’t want to be alone. He’s been in terrible situations such as this and still was there for you. This is the very least you could do. You step forward with the ambition to make the most of this. You jump up on the mattress with him and take a hand in yours. Grillby smiles seeing what you’re doing and continues in a sway.

“We can do this.” You promise, digging your heels into the mattress as he leans you back just a little. “Were you really going to sell it?”

“Yeah, actually. It’s time for me to grow up.”

“Grillby, what are you talking about?”

“I can’t keep being the guy that I was before Fuku was born. She needs a father and you…you need someone who can support you just as much as you support them.” He takes your face in his hands.

“That’s silly. You’re one of the most loved and respected monsters. They rely on you and that bar and you love them. You can’t tell me you don’t.” He might be good at hiding his emotions, but not that much. If he hated it so much you would know it.

“That doesn’t mean anything. It’s not real work.” 

You steady him with a look. He’s hurting just talking about this. 

“You’re an amazing father. A beautiful, gorgeous- what the hell was that!” You yelp as you feel something crawl over your foot. You wind up in Grillby’s arms, legs fighting to get around his waist. 

“Moth, my love. Will not harm you.” He shifts you higher so that you can hook around him. “I’m not going to let anything bad near you.”

“See? You’re a protector. You’re a caregiver.” You place your hand on his chest and kiss at his jawline. “Don’t let that bar go. You need it.”

Grillby slinks down to the bed and lays you back. “I can name a couple’a things I need more than a building.”

You look deep into his eyes and find more pain. You hug his neck and fix him between your legs. This is not the optimal setting by any means. It’s horribly disgusting and crude. He lost everything tonight. When he was living in the Underground he thought this world would be the answer to everything. The one thing that he did have was a shabby little bar and humans snatched that way too. Grillby just needed you to take the pain away. For a little while you could. You take him into your hands and give him everything you can. You wind him up and he unfolds completely. You are everything that he’s been waiting for. It takes all night and he does give you something gorgeous in return. By morning you’ve forgotten how nauseating the room is. Well, mostly forgotten. There were some smells you couldn’t blame on bad maid service. Now that parts of the sheet were singed it was a little more romantic. As he plays big spoon, you realize just how much protecting and caring for others means to him. You’re on that list, possibly near the top along with Fuku and Sans. Despite what he says you know he needs this bar. 

He’s very hesitant to let you go when you must. You have to remind him that most of your clothes are with him and you kind of have to come back. Grillby kisses your mouth and helps you get dressed while doing so himself. You yawn against his kiss while thinking about all of the stuff on your list. He laughs it off and melts the inside frame of the door so no one can come in and steal your stuff. He takes you by the hand and walks out to the…lobby…with you so he can go ask Alphys and Undyne if they can keep Fuku for a little while longer while things get settled. You call a cab service that doesn’t have an issue traveling between human and monster territory. They drop Grillby off first at a cabin like looking house with two mailboxes. Neither of which says a female monster’s name. Sans’s is written in red crayon while the other is all capital letters in nice looking handwriting. Before you have a chance to question it, Grillby kisses you goodbye and you are on your way to the first matter of business. 

Over the course of the next fifteen hours you are packed to the brim of talking with people you really don’t want to. You met with the former royal guard lead by Undyne to let monsters take control over what happened while at the same time, with their permission, letting human police known that there were acts of torment going on and to be on the lookout. Neither party wanted to cooperate, much less with you, and Frisk was brought in as a mediator. They don’t speak, but it works. The monsters listen to them and then the police see what a wonderful human influence an eleven year old is. This was a tad bit hurtful considering all the work that you’ve been trying to do, but you don’t let it get to you any more than that. Instead, you work with Frisk and their goat mother to get them on your side. Toriel is only there as a parental figure which she imposes on you. She is the most kindhearted woman you have ever met or fear will ever meet again. Humanity killed her two children and yet she has never lost one ounce of hope that things could be better. You learn she wants to be a schoolteacher and considering housing is right next to education for list of important things, the two of you meeting could not have been more perfect. 

After talking with Toriel, you run into the King of All Monsters. Asgore heard about how his ex-wife (all actions towards the former Queen flash before your eyes). You confess to him about Toriel’s dreams of being a teacher and he has the brilliant idea to get behind that. He wants to create a University for the older monsters who never got the chance. You gather that Asgore is only helping you because he wants to get back together with Toriel. That you have no problem with- help is help. With him, Toriel and Frisk, the floodgates open. They already want to help you due to the fact you’re seeing Grillby and know that what happened last night was not your fault. Frisk and the goat monsters have been wonderful, but you were the missing small piece in getting them on the right track. They needed a politician to help get where they need to be and you know the tracks inside and out. You have essentially ex-communicated yourself from the one blood family member you had left to help the monsters. You wouldn’t believe so, but they owe you. You’ve brought their Grillby back from the dead.

“He’s been very…not himself here.” Asgore’s low voice rumbles through the room in a calm stance as the two of you have lunch.

“Sans hasn’t mentioned anything about it to me?” You think if there was something wrong with Grillby his number one patron would mention it.

“Perhaps I should not either, but it’s my understanding that you can see his Soul? I think that might mean the pair of you are going somewhere.”

“I would like to think so. Please tell me. Is he ill?”

“Nothing like that, my child.” He smiles patiently. He and Toriel are so much alike in how they treat you, you wonder what drove them apart. “I wouldn’t say anything truly negative about my dear friend, but there are certain things you see which could be considered self destructive.”

“Grillby wouldn’t intentionally-?”

“We all have our way of grieving, child.” Asgore stamps the statement with a tone that assures you he knows this. “Kissing engaged people for the fun of a party knowing they’re never going to love him, buying a motorcycle and never wearing a helmet, falling for a human…”

You wouldn’t consider those things particularly dangerous, save for the helmet thing, but you understand a concern from a friend. “I promise you he’s trying to change into a more serious monster.”

“That might be for the better.” The both of you stand and instead of shaking hands to dismiss this lunch, he hugs you. “I’m so thrilled that you are just like your ancestor.”

You freeze. You never killed anybody. “Wh-what?”

“Surely you know about them? They played their part, but they ran off from the last battalion and joined us. We were able to go down swinging and fighting.”

“I was taught they covered the sky in a cloud of dust and nothing more.” 

“Perhaps it would be wise to hear it from someone who was actually there.” He said with a charming little wink. “Come by sometime. I’ve still got journal documentation of the entire war written by Toriel and myself.”

You nod, a bit dazed. “I’ll certainly do that. Thank you for this lunch, I greatly appreciate it.”

“Anytime, my dear. I await the invitation to the party this upcoming Saturday to do this again.” 

You walk away from the building twirling the ring on your finger with that hand and a phone in the other. The remainder of the day is looking at apartments which are monster friendly with a Realtor who’s the same way. While doing this, you talk with several other entrepreneurs and plan to discuss turning some other buildings into profitable businesses with them and architects. Now out of the dark side of the moon that only showed you how horrible and disgusting monsters are, there are better people in this world. There’s entire organizations working towards the betterment for them and you schedule even more meetings with them. A great majority of University students are determined to make their generation smarter, well versed and kinder to monsters than older ones. Two years out of school, you wish there were more people open like that when you went. Knowing more than just your inner circle would certainly expedite this process. 

News crews were determined to get more than two words from you. Rue is still saying that you two are engaged and you’re just going through a rough spot of delusion. You keep quiet for the time being. Grillby knows who has your heart and that he has nothing to truly fear when it comes to you leaving him for another. Especially when that ‘other’ is a conceited, racist bigot. Chosen by your arrogant, supremest zealot of a father. That life was, in your mind, behind you. In the real world it was still going on. Everywhere you turned was a new person prying into your life wanting to know about what the hell was going on in your mind. Keeping your head above water proved difficult, but you continued swimming. This world that you were born in was dark and cold. They wanted to keep it that way and you were messing every hing up. If they couldn’t change and bring you back then they wanted to ostracize or ban you. You could not just walk away from your old life. Even though you had, they wouldn’t acknowledge it. Yours and the monsters freedom was not going to come free. Humanity did not relent until the last drop of blood was evaporated.

“Alright, this is the last place I have to show for the day. It’s five over your budget, but it’s a last resort.” Mrs Realtor explained as she put the car in park. 

“This is it.” You say from the sidewalk. “I don’t need to see anymore, but lets go in anyway.” 

That last five grand was pulled from your savings account where you kept your inheritance, but you knew it would be worth it. Your mother wanted your happiness more than anything else in this world and left you a decent amount for when you were older. Father paid for college and you were earning money from years and years of public appearances (wearing designer sponsored clothes when you could) so it had just been sitting there waiting for a rainy day. While the contractor and the surveyor went around the building to figure out what needed to be taken care of immediately, you called Sans. 

“somebody better be dyin’.” 

Checking the clock after hearing his sleepy voice, you see that it’s only nine at night. You wanted him now, but you could wait and let him sleep. “Sorry to wake you up from a nap, but I wanted to show you something. You want to meet for lunch tomorrow?”

“i’m going to be m.i.a at that time. send me the address and i’ll pop over now after i find a pair of pants.”

“Thank you, Sans.” 

You do ask asked and then turn back to the workers going around the building. It’s in exceptionally good shape (thank you hiked price tag). You just have to get the floor back to level so there’s no unexpected flooding in the near or distant future. You sign off to get that done as well as movers to bring in everything from your room at the House of the Rising Sun. You’ll save on buying new furniture for the upstairs apartment and can use the rest of the budget to upgrade the kitchen in the downstairs diner. Fuku can still have her own room, but Grillby’s won’t be a grimy mattress on the floor like before. They’ll get back to the house they had in much better condition. You can see them being exceptionally happy here. 

“tellin’ grillbz you’re seeing another diner.” Sans literally pops into the room.

“Not yet! But is this perfect?” You are bouncing on your heels.

“looks identical to the one he used to have.” He looks at you and smiles. “good thing.”

An exhale leaves your body and you hug him. “I’ve seen so many bed and breakfast buildings today I thought I might go crazy.”

“look a little like it, buddy.” He chuckles, but hugs you back.

You pull back and draw out your vision. “I’m thinking poker table here. An-and jukebox there in the corner. Booths all along this wall around to the front door on this side and then tables over here. A hole here so that he can work behind the scenes and still be part of it.”

“and where does that put you?”

You don’t even really care at this point. You just want to be in these monsters lives and part of Grillby’s big dream to help everybody. “Wherever hr wants me. Come on, I’ll show you upstairs. Northing’s moved in yet but just trust me.”

You pull him by the end of his sleeve outside and up through the other door leading to the apartment. It’s a three bedroom, one bath with a mediocre sized kitchen but you think that’s okay. With just Grillby and Fuku, you think that third bedroom could be made into an office space or where Fuku can play and have her own little area. Sans makes a comment he doesn’t think you can hear about it being a nursery, but you don’t answer. That’s not on the agenda right now. After the tour of the apartment, you bring Sans to the large window in the living room where you can see out past the buildings and towards the horizon where there’s a gorgeous moon hovering above and laying down a reflection. His features lower as he sees every single star out in the galaxy. Real ones. Nothing crystallized or imagined. He reaches out to touch and grab one in his hand. You step back and let him do as he needs.

“Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, to have the wish I wish tonight.” You say under your breath what your mother taught you. You close your eyes tight and ask for the one thing you need to happen in these upcoming weeks.

“humans wish on stars, too?” Sans asks. You nod. “what do they wish for?”

“Prosperity, love, hope.” You raise your finger to the second star to the right. “To live there.” 

“you and us both.” 

You sigh and sit down next to him on the floor. “I dint think humanity deserves a wish or two.”

“you’re allowed to want something else, kid. you’re allowed to want a better world even though yours isn’t too shitty. wouldn’t trade with yah or nothin’.” 

“I’m glad you don’t hate me anymore.” You sniffle and wipe your nose on your sleeve before leaning on his shoulder. 

Sans wraps an arm around you and rubs your back. “i didn’t want grillby seeing you ’s all.”

“Is that why you haven’t brought your little friend around?” You tease just to keep it light. He retracts his arm and folds his hands together. 

“topic for another time.”

“Sans-”

“it’s fine. are you ready to get back to the fire pit? Imagine he’s getting real hot and bothered.”


	9. Act 2, Scene 4

You have contractors, partners, designers, demolition and builders all working around the clock to have the house done by Saturday. The goal is to have it done so that you and Grillby can get ready together and have a place to return at the end of the night. Getting him and Fuku out of that horrible hotel was also a driving force. He could make any place feel like home to you, but that didn't make it one or right. Fuku staying with Alphys and Undyne was tearing him apart as well. You have to hope that will make this an easier process. Giving his daughter a place to sleep in somewhere he could be right near by to would make up for the fact you have been buying him so much crap these days. All of which you know he needs, but everyone had their limit on what they would accept as gift before leading it into charity. When you pick him up for what he thinks is just brunch at Muffet’s, you figure you’re about to find out. 

“Oh, hey. Can I get your opinion on the banquet hall for tonight?” You say nonchalantly.

“Sure, baby.” He smiles and rubs your knee as you drive.

“I’d like to get a real surprise feel. Will you close your eyes?” 

Grillby closes his eyes and you lean forward to smooch his lips. You back to driving despite how much he’s trying to distract you. His hand stays between your thighs, mindlessly stroking back and forth in a manner he knows that’s taunting. It’s an entire game of foreplay and if Undyne and Alphys weren’t waiting at the building with Fuku, you would pull over and oblige. You’re on a time limit though and Undyne warned if you were even a minute late she would come after you. Knowing this, you take his hand and place it on your shoulder. He starts massaging and adds heat to where you need it most. You lean into it and almost run over the sidewalk in the state of being dazed. You break check just to mess with him and he withdraws his hands with a grin across his face. You make him wait as you park the car and walk around to bring him out. 

“I seriously hate this.” Grillby complains as you stand behind him with your hands over his eyes.

“Have I ever steered you wrong?” The time you got lost on the drive over here for a brief moment comes to mind. “Don’t answer that.” 

“Can I please open my eyes?” He asks when you move away.

You go to stand in front of the new building with Fuku, Alphys and Undyne. “Yeah, sure. Go for it. Tell me exactly what you think.” 

His jaw drops as he takes in the red brick building with a beautiful sign branded across he half of it. There’s four large windows in between two doors on the lower half and he can see the inside of the diner from his place. There’s dim, warm lighting and booths and tables and a fully stocked bar. The red light open sign blinks in a gentle way that’s not blinding but does draw him in. He picks Fuku up when she walks over and tugs on his shirt for it, but his eyes stay on the gorgeous wooden flooring that you’re leading him into. There’s sawdust skimmed across the floor to create an earthy smell in the vicinity. It’s more of a diner than a bar, which makes it a more grown up establishment like he wanted to be serious. It’s warm and everything that he’s ever dreamed of. When Fuku wiggles, he puts her down and brings you close. You’ve brought everything to life. 

“This is insane. This is exactly how I pictured it.”

“Sans helped me decorate. He’s coming by later.” You doubt this given your conversation a few nights ago, but want him to know his best friend did help. 

“Who’s upstairs?”

“You and Fuku are.” 

Grillby looks at you then Alphys and Undyne. 

“Come on, Pebbles. Let’s go see your new room!” Undyne brings her girlfriend and the kid out of the diner and around to the side door. 

Grillby hugs you tight and presses his mouth against yours. You wait for it to be the hands-grabby-desperate sort of make out session but it’s not. He rushes to make it happen and then takes his time. His hands wave through your hair and pulls you flush against his body. He pulls back and you see his face. Fire forms at the bottom of his eyes and you think it must be a form of tears. His tattoos extend off of his arms and reach for you. They tickle where his tears burn your fingers when you try to brush them away. You jerk your hands back and place them on his waist. You smile to show that you are alright and everything is safe and okay. 

“What the hell did I do to deserve you.”

“Well, you’re a really good kisser.” You smile, holding onto his belt loops. 

“You’re gonna get so many kisses.” He smooches your lips. “Being with you is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“You’re the best thing I’ve ever done.” You continue joking.

“I’m being serious here.” He clarifies. _Oh_. You nod and take his hands in yours. You give him your full attention. “I want to be with you. I want this to be your home, too. I want…I-”

You stop him with a kiss to the cheek when he starts to get nervous. “You can have whatever you want. I want it. You two are my family.” 

“One day I’ll make it official. One day I’ll ask you-”

Grillby’s words are cut off by a sharp pain to your ribs. The sticky red substance paints his hand as he looks down at you. He steps you back and you fall into Undyne’s arms as Grillby turns into a complete inferno. He turns around and there stands Rue with a bloody, rusted knife that he dug into you. Undyne cradles you in her arms and then takes out your phone. She calls Toriel and Sans before taking you of the restaurant-apartment building before the smoke can cloud your lungs. Alphys rushes into the room and applies a wet wash cloth to your mouth to keep you hydrated while she rips your top with a claw and gets to work on cleaning and stitching the wound. All you can see is fire as everyone tries to save your life. You want that fire to hold you.

Undyne is cold and wet and not home. You want to go home. Tears swell in your eyes and you shut them tight as water falls down your face. You writhe trying to get free, but Undyne has you restrained. You have to get to Grillby, he can’t be in water. You’re going to lose him. He’s going to lose you. You’re never going to have a family with him. You’re never going to hold him again. He calls your name and you can’t say it back. The tear that falls down your cheek feels worse than a knife digging across your skin. You look towards him and see the last bits of fire going out. You close your eyes and the tears start falling but you don’t feel anything. The lights go out and all you can see is that gorgeous and beautiful green Soul. You can smell the fire and the earth. You can feel the water and the air. The moon is both rising and setting along with the sun as the days and nights fly along. You can hear voices telling you to stay brave and fight to come back. There’s a million words being sent your way and it’s all very confusing. You have to fight to hear the one that you want. It makes you smile and you begin to rest.

Grillby’s there in your dreams. He’s handsome as he stands there in a suit waiting for you. There are bright lights everywhere that only dim when you get closer. A woman is standing behind him, a blue fire. She smiles at Grillby and then at you. He takes your hand and pulls you closer. Neither of them say anything, but everything is beautiful and quiet and calm. You want to stay here in this dreamlike world. When she speaks, it’s in a different language but you understand it somehow. She says how much Grillby seems to love you and that she approves tenfold. She’s glad to have met you, but he needs you more right now. He needs you to help raise Fuku and to be there when he gets in those terrible moods of his. You need him to take care of you and he will. She promises that he’s going to give you a family greater, bigger and more beautiful than anything you could have ever imagined. When she kisses Grillby and he cries, you don’t feel jealous. You wait and after she hugs you, you brush his tears away. They don’t burn you here at all which makes it that much more difficult to leave. 

Suddenly a wall appears between your bodies. You can see each other and it’s thin, but you can’t hear. Grillby starts banging on his side trying to get to you, but you don’t understand why. You’re here together and that’s all the two of you ever wanted. He’s so angry and sad, though. You can’t comfort him here. You place your hands on the glass and tell him that you’re okay. No matter what he does the barrier between you does not even crack. He’s not okay. He wants you and you can’t get to him even though this separation is what’s keeping him safe. You tap and it cracks. You knock and there’s a hole in it. The more that you hit the more it breaks open. You wrap your arms around his neck and his light burns so bright that you can’t see anything. You can only feel him holding you and he isn’t relenting. You stroke his appearance of hair to soothe him. As his hands run across your body, you feel it right against skin. You’re naked and he is too. Grillby is happy that you’re back. It’s just now in this moment that you hear a heartbeat starting. It’s very faint and you aren’t sure who's it it, but you think it might be both. He asks if you stay. You nod and smile.

The light disappears along with Grillby and his warmth.

The cold and pain sinks into your veins before your eyes open.

“they both died at the exact same time?” You hear Sans’s voice.

“I th-th-think so.” Alphys’s voice is wrought with tears.

“This is not going to be easy.” Undyne’s calmer, but it could be deceiving.

“When is it ever? The poor child has lost so much.” That sounds like Toriel. 

“What is the Soul going to look like anymore?” 

“Unknown.” Alphys answers Asgore. “M-may not be able t-to f-fight anymore.” 

“Would she want us to tell her father, do you think?” 

“No. But we have to.” Grillby’s tone is ice cold. You try to shift and are frozen. You have to move. You have to comfort him. 

“What should we do first?” 

“Say good bye and make sure that humans know who killed her.” 

_What?_ You’re still here. Nobody killed you.   
_Move,_ you tell yourself. _Move! Now!_

You get your finger to twitch, but that’s not enough. You will it to move. _Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight!_

That finger starts tapping. It’s weak and more like a fidget, but you’re moving. You keep yelling at yourself to fight and move and don’t stop. Gradually you can feel yourself. The air on your skin, the blood running in your veins. There’s bandages and wires puncturing your skin extracting or giving plasma. You still feel cold, but understand why now. They thought you were gone for good. You’ll find out who that other person that they think ‘died’ the same time as you later. For right now, you need them to know. Your finger begins rapid tapping on the mattress in hopes that it’s just enough. You hear footsteps and the click of a door. They can’t be leaving now. They can’t leave thinking you just left like this. 

“H-heeeere.” You crack out. Your voice is dry as though all of the air in the room as replaced saliva to dehydrate you completely. Grillby says your name.

“It’s too late, Grillby. I’m sorry.” Asgore says.

“N-no.” You sound like cracking glass. Tears push from the corner of your eye and slide down your cheek. “Grill….by.” 

He says your name again and you here a scuffle. “No! Shes’ here!” He sounds desperate. Like even if you weren’t, he’d still fight.

Grillby stands over you and sees your tears. “Alphys! There’s-there’s tears! Alphys!” 

He plants his ear to your chest and wraps his arms around you. You’re too weak to actually move and opt for remaining limp. He supports your back and presses you closer as he rocks you back and forth. You exhale as the lava-like tears drop onto your shoulder. It burns and you don’t care. Alphys places her hand where it’s leaving a scar to protect your skin. She checks your pulse and jumps back feeling exactly what Grillby is hearing. She works around him to get you hooked up to more machines and hydrated. He helps you drink a cup of water and you take it with gratitude. He and Alphys remove your shirt and you see the wrap around your ribs. She draws the curtain for privacy while Alphys removes it and checks your injury while cleaning it. Grillby buries his face into the side of your neck, his hand separating you from his tears as he openly sobs.

“Th-this makes n-n-no sen-sense. B-but I’m g-glad you’re o-okay.” Alphys lightly squeezes your hand. “Let’s g-get you a n-n-new shirt.” 

Grillby immediately takes his off and starts to slip it onto. He stops and all three of you notice what makes him freeze. It’s soaked in your blood. He tosses it aside while Alphys goes leaves the privacy curtain for a moment to bring you another shirt. It’s large with a fish logo on the front. They both help you into it, moving around the new wires she has implanted in your veins. 

“G-g-get some sleep. We’ll ch-check on you later.” Alphys beams, making it known that she truly is happy to see you. 

You look to Grillby and shake your head. You don’t know how long you’ve been out and therefore aren’t going to now. He cradles you in his arms and strokes your hair. You smile as he kisses at your face and blocks out the cold hospital room temperature as well as the smell. He gets to your lips and hesitates. He looks into your eyes for permission, but you lean forward to close the distance. He’s far more sincere, kind, warm and sensual now than he used to be. You’ve known him less than a month. Already he is the one who makes life worth living. You’ve come back to be with him. You’re unable to kiss him the way that you want so he draws back and pours more water down your throat. 

“Who…died?” 

Grillby stiffens and draws back. He places his hands in his lap. “I…I did everything I could. But I was too late. I’m so sorry, it was all my fault.”

You give him a worried look. He licks his lips and avoids eye contact.

“I don’t know where she came from, but suddenly Clara was there. She was struck and I don’t know if I killed her or Rue did, but he was killed too and then you were killed and I took everything away from you.”

It’s a mortal blow to your chest. You don’t cry at first, there’s just an explosion set off in your body and you suddenly cannot feel anything. You take deep breaths trying to calm yourself, but that is how it starts. You snap. You drag a pillow heavier than lead up to your face and sob hard. You think of her face. You try to remember her voice so that it will stay with you and never be forgotten. You remember the last time that you hung out and realize it was forever ago. You think about everything good in this world that exists because Clara showed it to you. Girls loving girls. Humans and monsters loving each other. The monster world. Muffet. Grillby. Her apartment she let you borrow when you couldn’t return home. She was a ballerina with perfect dreams and goals in this world to make it better again. She believed in you and what you could do. You want to drown in the tears on the pillow. You want to go back in time and fix all of this. You don’t have that power. It’s impossible to just erase everything because you were stupid and naive enough to think that an act of kindness would be allowed between you and Grillby. You won’t let her death be in vain. You won’t let her be forgotten. Everyone in this world is going to know her and what she believed in. They were going to have to kill you better next time to erase her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really really did not want to take part in the 'bury your gays' trope. i hate it, but i think clara's death and what it leads to will help humans and monsters in this story.
> 
> also, it leads to why Gaster wasn't tried for murder in my story Violet Hill.


	10. Finale

“Darlingest dear, would you mind accompanying me to Grillby’s? His lovely new snack is throwing a housewarming party and invited all of us~!” 

Muffet told Clara.

“I would love to. I’m so proud of her, you know? She’s really working to make this place more monster-friendly.”

Clara told Muffet.

They drove the short while to the new diner-apartment. They smelled smoke.

“Oh, no! Looks like Grillby truly is turning up the heat here.” 

Muffet joked.

“I don’t think it’s that. Something doesn’t look right.” 

Clara called your name. 

You didn’t answer.

Clara entered the building.

“Clara? Clara!” 

Muffet called her name.

But nobody came.

Muffet’s hand shook as she clenched her fist and marched in.

Her pet had a delicious snack today. 

“Who?” 

Said Muffet.

“I don’t know.”

Said Grillby. 

“You will pay if she doesn’t come back.”

Warned Muffet.

Grillby didn’t answer.

“That’s not your future wife burning alive. Never forget this.”

**Author's Note:**

> this playlist works amazingly with the fic if you want to give it a listen: http://bit.ly/2c7CyP7


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